Pokemon:Episode Zero
by Kiwami no Sengoku
Summary: Wonder what happened four years before the anime? Walking the path of Heaven, the man who will rule over everything. The Chosen One. This is his story. Centered around my OC character. Feat. anime characters. Serious, slightly dark fic. R&R. OCs NEEDED.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, people of fanfiction.

I have recently signed in as a member of this site and this shall be my first story as a member.

As a first-timer, I hope that you would not be hard on me should you choose to review this story.

Enjoy.

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Professor Samuel Oak leaned back into his comfy leather chair and reached out for his mug of Herbal tea, hoping to quench his thirst. He pressed his lips against the mug, expecting a sweet and slightly sour taste to stimulate his taste buds. What he did not expect was the long wait for it to happen. Curious, he moved the mug so that he may examine the content, only to find that it was empty. He placed the mug back onto the table and allowed his eyes to wander, until a table full of paperwork across the lab came into his line of sight.

He sighed. "Maybe I'm getting a bit too lazy here. If I had known that this job would involve this much paperwork, I'd never would have signed up for it." He closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating whether or not to hang up his lab coat and call it a day. "No, " Professor Oak exclaimed in his mind, "I love this job too much. Seeing the kids' faces when they received their first Pokemon..., it gives me great pleasure. So what if I have too much paperwork? I just have to buck up and deal with it..., no matter how much I hate it."

Ridding himself of that distasteful sight, he immediately focused on a strange, cylindrical structure located at the west side of the lab. It had lots of wires jutting out of it and an uninviting laser inside of it. Oak had it constructed last year as a means of transportation. However, no one has ever used it, not even himself for health reasons. He was starting to regret having a transporter installed in his lab. That regret was erased completely when he received a simple phone call.

_Oak had just finished his brunch consisting of a couple of scones with strawberry jam as the topping. He was just thinking of working on that monumental amount of paperwork Professor Rowan sent in. He would have, if not for the annoying ring of the phone. Silently thanking Arceus for that timely intervention, he strolled to a machine that included a receiver on the top left side, the numbers one to nine surrounded by a white border in the middle and a red and green button lining side by side on the right. There was a huge monitor fixed onto the wall opposite the machine. Brimming with anticipation, he picked up the receiver and pressed the green button that was presently flashing causing the screen to come to life, revealing a familiar face._

_"A very good afternoon, Mr. White," Oak chimed. "Nice weather we are having, don't you agree?" _

_"Hn," was Mr. White's simple reply._

_Oak furrowed his brows in confusion. He knew that something was amiss. Mr. White often displayed a happier persona than what he is displaying now. Against his better __judgement, he decided to __humour his own curiosity._

_Oak queried, "Are you feeling alright, sir?"_

_Mr. White gave Oak a long blank stare. It sent chills down Oak's spine. After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. White responded, "A boy shall be arriving there via the transporter soon."_

_Oak did a take. He did not know what to make of the situation. The transporter had not been used yet let alone tested so the side-effects from its usage were virtually unknown. Yet, here was a boy who was willing to gamble on his life just to meet him._

_"He must be really brave or just plain foolish," Oak thought gravely._

_"Oh and Professor Oak..," Mr. White suddenly added._

_"Y-yes," he stammered._

_"Bring a handkerchief. You'd be surprised."_

_Before Oak had a chance to ask why, Mr. White hung up._

Professor Oak decided to head his friend's advice and now had a handkerchief neatly folded in the left breast pocket of his lab coat though he was still struggling to comprehend what one boy did to make the chairman of the Devon Corporation a nervous wreck. Ironically, he was now acting like a nervous wreck. His hands were shaking with fear and his forehead was glistening with sweat.

"He was right," the professor breathed as he used the handkerchief to wipe off some of his sweat. "I'm not looking forward to meeting this boy but I guess I just have to suck it up," he half-heartedly resolved.

On cue, the transporter gave out a sudden flash of blinding light, forcing the professor to shut his eyes, falling down the chair in the process. He silently cursed the creators of the transporter for not installing a signal to alarm him of the situation he was facing now.

As the light slowly died down, Oak slowly opened his eyes to see a black silhouette in the transporter. He strained his eyes to get a better look at the figure but that was unnecessary as the smoke began to subside. When the smoke fully cleared, the figure's features became crystal-clear for Oak to marvel at.

"Whoa," he exclaimed.

Inside the transporter stood a young teen of about twelve years with neck-length, jet black hair that completely covered his forehead and concealed most of his ears. He had soft yet piercing sapphire eyes with a faint scar running diagonally down his right eye. He was wearing a white collared-up shirt under a dual-coloured vest; black with three white stripes running along the top to the bottom of the vest on the left side with contrasting colours on the right side. He also donned on a black scarf that hung loosely on his shoulders, a pair of white slacks with two black belts criss-crossing each other around his lower abdomen and a pair of white sneakers with a logo of a black Pokeball emblazoned on each sneaker.

"Did Mr. White meant that I would be surprised by his features or his clothing?" Professor Oak thought with a raised eyebrow.

The boy lazily ran a hand through his rather scruffy hair and released a breath of relief before taking in his surroundings. He noticed that he was in a typical laboratory setting. The pristine white walls, white floor tiles and various machinery, ranging from the giant supercomputers to the transporter that he was currently standing in, that entered his field of vision were a dead giveaway. His gaze immediately fell on Professor Oak who seemed to be glued to the floor. Shaking his head in exasperation, he strolled over to help the poor man up.

Oak silently observed the boy's actions, careful to not make any sudden movements. From the boy's appearance, Oak could tell that this was not someone to be trifled with. The professor drew a sharp intake of breath as the boy got closer and closer to him. He wanted to move so badly but his body chose that exact moment to declare mutiny. The boy, who was now standing in front of the professor, reached down to help him up. After a moment's hesitation, Oak accepted his gesture.

Professor Oak dusted himself and smiled at the boy in appreciation. "Hello, my name is Professor Oak. It is a pleasure to meet you," the middle-aged man greeted as he held his hand out to the boy.

The boy stared at the outstrecthed hand in front of him. Instead of shaking it, he shifted his gaze to the professor and nodded. "Likewise. My name is Seishiro Syuusuke."

Although the professor was a bit disappointed that the boy did not accept his handshake, he did not show it as he chuckled, "My, my. What an interesting name."

"Though it is only a fake name," Seishiro stated non-chalantly.

"Heh?" Professor Oak breathed while fixing Seishiro with an incredulous stare.

"Don't worry," Seishiro assured the baffled professor with an absent wave of his hand, "most people fail to comprehend it the first time."

"I er... see," the still-befuddled professor choked out pathetically. "Anyway, all things aside, I presume that your are here to apply for your Trainer's Licence. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"Well, based on your appearance and this confidence you're exuding, I'd say that you would fit the profile of a great trainer," Professor Oak praised. "However, whether you become a trainer or not solely depends on how well you perform on the written exam. It's a rather sad fact but that's how things work. Do you understand?

This time, the black-haired boy took on a silent disposition and simply nodded.

"Very good. Now follow me please," the professor asked politely as he led the boy into a room opposite the lounge area.

The first thing that Seishiro noticed when he entered the room was a table that was _conveniently_ situated in the middle of the room. On it were a few test papers, a couple of 2B pencils and an black eraser. There were three open windows in the room, most likely to let the fresh air in. Seishiro calmly walked to a chair that was pushed into the table, pulled it out and sat down, awaiting the usual exam instructions.

Professor Oak let out a few coughs before instructing, "You are given a two hour time limit to complete your papers. If you require any rough papers, just press that green button on the table and some shall be sent to you right away." He then glanced at his wristwatch to make sure the 'second' hand was directly pointing at the number twelve. "You may begin."

Once Professor Oak left the room, Seishiro immediately set to work. The test did not pose too much trouble for Seishro. He finished it in half the given time, fully confident in all his answers except the ones on Pokemon Evolution History; but his answers were relevant enough. Looking to past the time, he casually flipped his hair before unclipping a small dual-coloured ball which was red at the top half and white at the bottom from his belt. He pressed a button in the centre of the ball causing it to enlarge. Placing the ball on the table, he simply stared at it and waited. On cue, the ball snapped open, releasing a bright beam of light which slowly materialized into a wolf-like creature that had a black body with a pair of crimson eyes and yellow bands on its ears, tail, legs and forehead. It shook its head a little before setting its sights on its part-time trainer, full-time friend.

It stared. Seishiro stared back. The silence between these two seemed to last an eternity but in reality it had only been a few minutes.

Finally, the eerie silence was broken.

"Don't I even warrant a hello, Noctis Umbra?" Seishiro asked.

Said Moonlight Pokémon's left eye twitched at the mention of that name. _"Don't you think it is rather unnecessary to keep saying 'hello' when we see each other every single day?" _the Pokemon countered_. "I still fail to fathom the reason why you would always begin our conversations with that specific sentence when you know how much I loathe my last name. Noctis would be just fine._

Seishiro propped his elbow on the table and casually rested his head on his hand, never taking his eyes off Noctis. He then smirked before retaliating, "Although you knew that I was going to say that specific sentence, you made absolute no move to stop me from saying it. I'm curios. Could it be that you enjoy these daily squabbles between you and I?"

The silence that followed after Seishiro's inquiry provided substantial prove that Seishiro might be correct in his deduction. Instead of admitting it, Noctis turned its head sharply away from its trainer. _"You're only kidding yourself," _the Umbreon muttered.

Chuckling heartily, Seishiro reached out and scratched Noctis behind its left ear, much to its annoyance and pleasure. "Keep telling yourself, Noctis _Umbra~a_," he teased with a slightly higher pitch in his voice.

Noctis grunted in response and backpawed Seishiro's hand away, a faint blush across its face. Luckily, its dark fur managed to conceal it, not allowing Seishiro to further tamper with its emotions. It stretched to ease its body's blood flow and curled up into a ball on the table, keeping eye contact with Seishiro the whole time.

_So, what's your first impression on the human professor?"_ it asked.

Seishiro thought long and hard before answering, "He's decent enough, I guess." A gentle breeze past into the room through the window, swaying Seishiro's hair and giving him a serene look. "I can see from his eyes that this job gives him great pleasure. He is also a very kind person as he accepts favours without any compensation. That mountain of paperwork on his desk solidifies my assumption. Though, I think that his kindness might be his undoing. He isn't getting any younger and the stress of handling such a demanding job must surely be getting to him. I wouldn't be surprise if the thought of retirement has crossed his mind a couple of times... but I like think he loves this job too much to give it up easily. Most likely, he would give up the position to a younger family member so that he can not only tutor the fortunate soul but also still be involved in Pokemon Research. I can see why he is one of the most respected individuals in this world."

Noctis tilted its head in faint amusement. _"It is rather rare to see you heap this much praise on someone other than your grandfather," _the Dark-type stated.

"Some people in this world deserve respect and that man has earned mine. It's as simple as that," Seishiro replied.

The Umbreon nodded, uncurled itself and sat on its haunches.

Their conversation lasted no more than a few minutes before Noctis retreated back into his ball. Though the majority of their talks were brief, they were pleasant none the less. Eriol had always found it easy to strike a conversation with Noctis as the Umbreon was very mature despite its young age of three summers. Noctis meanwhile felt that Eriol's company was very comforting and emotionally soothing for it. The bond that these two had nurtured had reached a point where it can never be eclipsed.

Professor Oak entered the room half an hour later. He looked a lot worse than the first time Seishiro met him. His hair was a bit ruffled, his lab coat was rumpled and his eyes were rather droopy. Seishiro said nothing as he held out the test papers to Oak which the professor idly took.

A few moments later, the professor came back into the room looking fresher than before. His grey hair was neatly spiked upwards, he donned on a new lab coat and his eyes were... glowing with excitement. Seishiro raised an eyebrow but did nothing to comment. In his opinion, everyone was eccentric in their own way and it would seem that Professor Oak had the ability to clean himself in just a few minutes. It was beyond Seishiro's comprehension and he did not want to comprehend it one bit.

"Out of all my years as a Pokemon Professor," the professor started, "I have never seen such a gifted individual. Not only did you aced the test but your explanations on the evolution of Pokemon, particularly on the emotions that evoked Pokemon evolution, leaves me baffled yet astounded at the same time. I'd even go so far as to say that your paper was as good or even better than Professor Rowan's theory on Pokemon evolution. I would be honoured if you would allow me to publish your paper in the upcoming issue of Professor's Weekly. It is a rather a great encyclopedia which many professors use as a catalyst to discuss their views on Pokemon."

Seishiro fixed Professor Oak with a half-lidded gaze. "I could care less whether or not you choose to publish my paper," he said. He then added, "My only request is that my name would not get published as well. I'd rather keep my low profile, thank you very much."

Professor Oak sighed. "I suppose that is fair. I'm sure you don't appreciate people fawning over you over such an... unimportant matter, at least scientific people like myself." He then immediately reverted back to his cheerful self. "Now then, would you please follow me? It's time to get you properly registered," he said with a rather giddy tone as he practically skipped out the room. Seishiro followed silently, unsure whether he was dealing with a reputed Pokemon Professor or a little school girl.

They both soon reached a machine which would register Seishiro as an official Pokemon Trainer. Professor Oak started by inserting a card into an empty slot blow the monitor and a thin rectangled-shaped gadget into another. He cracked his knuckles, took a deep breath and started typing away like a speed demon. Seishiro watched intently as various information about him were displayed on the machine's monitor before getting downloaded into the red gadget and his image was scanned onto the card. After wiping a few beads of sweat on his brow, Professor Oak pressed 'ENTER' and withdrew the red gadget and the card from their respective slots. He then turned to Seishiro and handed them to him. The black-haired teen accepted with gratitude.

"Now, I shall explain to you the functions of these items." Professor Oak let out a few coughs before starting, "The card that you are holding in your right hand is your Trainer's ID. As long as you have it, you are acknowledge as an official Pokemon Trainer. It will also allow you to spend the night in a Pokemon Center. It gives some sort of assurance to the Nurse Joys that you have been acknowledged by a Professor and can be trusted."

Seishiro nodded and pocketed his ID.

"Next, I shall explain to you the functions of the Pokedex," Professor Oak said as he looked at the tool in Seishiro's left hand. "Its gives information about all the Pokemon in the world that are contained in its database. Simply pointing it at a target Pokémon will give you the Pokédex entry for that Pokémon. A Pokédex can also display a Pokémon's stats, levels and moves. Another function of the Pokédex is that it is immune to most forms of outside interference from stimuli such as water, fire or electricity. It also grants you some sort of protection from the police force. Like the Trainer's ID, its gives the police some sort assurance as Pokedex holders are generally trainers of exceptional potential and skill. Normally, I would give the normal Kanto Pokedex but I decided to give you something special. It's the state-of-the-art Johto Pokedex. It was recently completely and its capabilities far surpasses that of the Kanto Pokedex. Why don't you try it out? Just click on the 'INTRO' button on the screen."

Seishiro once again nodded and flipped open the Pokedex. From what Seishiro could tell, this Pokedex is rather different from the ones he had seen from various books from different regions. Unlike previous models, this Pokedex has no buttons and contains a touch-screen and a stylus. There also seems to be a camera at the back. Shrugging his shoulders, he took the stylus from its holder and tapped the 'ON' button on the screen with it. Several other functions then appeared on the screen like 'INTRO', 'PROFILE', 'POKEMON', 'MONEY' , 'MAP' and 'PHONE NUMBERS'. Twirling the stylus in his right hand, he tapped the 'INTRO' button. The Pokedex beeped a few times before speaking its first sentences under the ownership of Seishiro.

"I'm Dexter," the red gadget voiced out, "a Pokedex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokemon Trainer Seishiro Syuusuke of the city of Hiun. My function is to provide Seishiro with information and advice regarding Pokemon and their training. If lost or stolen, I would instantly teleport back into my trainer's dominant hand."

Seishiro raised an eyebrow at that last sentence and thought nothing of it. With the technology these days, anything was possible. He carefully pocketed the Pokedex into the left breast pocket of his vest. He looked Professor Oak in the eye and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, Professor Oak. I am grateful for the assistance you have provided me," Seishiro said in apperciation.

"Think nothing of it young man," the professor dismissed with an absent wave of his hand, "but it does seem rather late. I think you would have to delay your journey for tomorrow morning."

"I understand," Seishiro replied. "However, I do require a place to stay. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I have got that covered," Professor Oak assured as he handed Seishiro a piece of paper. "Here's the adress. The owner of the house is a very nice lady and she has cute six-year-old son. I am sure you would find this acceptable."

"Once again, thank you. Your assistance is appreciated. I shall be taking my leave now." He turned around and walked towards the exit.

Professor Oak nodded. "Goodbye and good luck," he called out.

Seishiro just raised his right index finger up into the air as a sign that he acknowledge Professor Oak's words of encouragement. He then raised his left hand and pushed the revolving doors, exiting the laboratory and entering the grace of Pallet Town.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo, Tendou Souji here.

About the updates, I think can only update this story weekly at best as like any other person, I've school and homework.

Also, I shall be taking my SPM(equivalent to O-Levels) examination this year.

All that aside, here's Chapter 2.

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Pallet Town could only be described as very being rather plain but plain enough..., at least in Seishiro's opinion. It is not that much of a tourist destination but more of a Trainer's destination. The lack of hotels and basic tourist attractions spoke for themselves. Trainers would come to take their first Pokemon and then they would be off in a flash without even taking some time off from their _busy_ schedule to appreciate the greenery and beauty that surrounded the place. For the first few moments of their journeys, the fresh Trainers would be somewhere off in their fantasy world. They had finally become Pokemon Trainers and would soon bask in the sunshine of glory. That was what most Trainers had going through their minds when they started their journeys. However, it does not take too long for reality to set in. They would soon realize that the real world was not as simple as they had earlier perceived as they were leaving the comforts on their home and stepping out into the wilderness. They would face many perils ranging from unpredictable weather to infamous criminal organizations. All of this coupled with the fact that they were not mature yet, especially thinking-wise, would, more often than not, cause them to abandon their dream to rise and stand on top of the upper echelons of the world. Seishiro Syuusuke, a _relatively new _trainer himself, had only one word going through his mind when he thought off all those unfortunate souls.

"Pitiful."

Speaking of Seishiro, the sapphire-eyed boy was pleasantly strolling the streets of said Town, humming a tune of a soft ballad at the same time. Though he looked relaxed, he still took notice of the surroundings. There was a signboard that he had passed awhile ago which had the words 'A Tranquil Setting of Peace and Purity' etched onto it. Seishiro did not fully agree with the 'purity' part as in his opinion, people often abused the word 'purity' as a way to mask their past mistakes. He halted in his movements to gaze up at the reddening sky. All he saw were the ever-present clouds of different sizes and shapes, the setting yet equally beautiful orange Sun plus a flock of Pidgeys, most likely returning to their nesting grounds. Nothing out of the ordinary, that is until he saw a rainbow-coloured orb light darting across his field of vision. He lazily rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not hallucinating. When he opened them, it was gone. True to his character, Seishiro just shrugged it off.

"I haven't even started my journey and yet _that_ Pokemon chose this specific time to make its presence known to me," Seishiro soliloquized. "Heaven can be rather whimsical at times."

Just as he was about to resume his walk, a soccer ball rolled to a stop near his feet. Thinking of amusing himself, he lobbed the ball into the air with his right foot. As the ball began its descent and was about touch the ground behind him, he casually used his left heel to lob it back into the air. Once again, gravity kept its hold on the ball as it was attracted back to the ground. This time, Seishiro caught the ball with his right index finger, twirling it around like a basketball. A faint smile adorned his features as he remembered the times he used to play soccer at the temple he previously lived at together with his grandfather. His reminiscence was cut short when his brain registered sounds of a scuffle. Sighing, he turned his head to the sources that interupted his peaceful moment of silence. He saw a couple of kids, both probably between eight to nine years, picking on a smaller boy who was on the ground with his face buried into his knees and ear canals shut off by his tiny fingers in an obviously pathetic attempt to block out their insults. Taking a deep breath, Seishiro again lobbed the still twirling ball high into the air.

_"Tweet, tweet~t," _he whistled.

This action had the desired effect as both the bullies stopped their... bullying and looked around for the source of that whistle. They finally set their sights on Seishiro, who had his eyes narrowed at them. Seishiro calmly raised his right leg in an 'L' postion, the ball bouncing on his thigh in the process. In a flash, he kicked the ball with such speed and accuracy that it rocketed past the bullies, narrowly missing their heads and sending them flying back a couple of feet due to the sheer velocity that it was moving. The ball then bounced off a tree, leaving a rather deep mark, and into the air. The miniature bullies regarded their current situation with shock clearly present on their faces. They were just minding their own business, picking on the Ketchum boy when suddenly this stranger came out of nowhere and shot a 'rocket' at that them. They were scared out of their wits. To make matters worse, the stranger was heading towards them.

"L-let's get out of here!" both of them screamed in unison as they ran like the wind.

Seishiro watched them ran like the cowards they were. Without taking his eyes off their retreating forms, he boredly raised his arm to the side and unclenched his fist, revealing tha palm of his hand. The ball that he kicked accurately landed on his palm as if it were magnet. He then moved it so that it neatly settled under his armpit.

"Savour your shame... and goodbye," he called out smoothly to the bullies.

Seishiro did not get to revel in his moment of glory for very long as he felt a tugging of his pants. He calmly turned around and looked down. It was the boy, whom had been bullied, that entered his field of vision. Said boy had amber brown eyes, raven-coloured hair and was donning a simple white T-shirt, red shorts plus a pair of brown sandals. He probably looked about five to six-years-old, give or take a year. He was shyly looking at Seishiro with much awe and admiration. Him shifting from one foot to the other and biting his finger signified his shyness.

"Um...," the boy stuttered, "thanks for saving me, M-Mister."

Seishiro abruptly turned away from the shy boy. "You misunderstand me, I did not do that to save you," he denied. "I just have zero tolerance for people who pick on the weak for no apparent reason. Also, I wanted to make sure whether or not my soccer skills are still up to par. That is all."

The boy looked rather downtrodden and suddenly found the ground more interesting. "I-I see," he choked out, "b-but still... thank you for saving me anyway, M-Mister."

Seishiro shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Seeing that you have enough energy to stand up and speak to me, would you be kind as to divulge the reason why those boys picked you of all people as the subject of their amusement?" Seishiro challenged him.

The amber-eyed boy still refused to look up from the ground. "W-Well...," he started, "I was trying to c-copy a shot that I had seen on T.V." He added, "I have been doin' that since this morning and then Mikey and Tyson came. They started callin' me names but I just kept practicin'. T-Then, they p-pushed me to the ground and said that I'm a loser and will never be able to do that s-shot. That's when you saved me, M-Mister." The tears were now freely flowing from the boy's eyes. "M-Maybe I s-should just give up. I'm-"

"Pathetic," Seishiro stated.

Seishiro's exclamation caused the teary-eyed boy to look up abruptly. "W-What?" he rasped.

"You heard me, you're pathetic," Seishiro repeated. "You have the mentality of a loser and a quitter. You're thinking of throwing in the towel just because of a few insults. Give me a break. I think you deserved those insults. You'll never get anywhere in life with that kind of attitude."

The young kid just stared shockingly at the teen. _"E-even he's insulting me,"_ he thought sadly. "_Why does e-everybody keep picking on m-me?" _His crying started to pick up volume.

Seishiro calmly knelt down so that he would similar to the boy in terms of height. "However, there is still hope for you," he assured the boy. Seishiro then raised his hand and started to affectionately caress the boy's hair.

This action caused the boy to cease his crying and look at Seishiro through red and puffy eyes. "Huh?" he sniffed.

"You are still young. You have time on your side. It is not to late for you to change your mindset," Seishiro reasoned. "My Grandfather said this, 'Imitating others is not bad, for it is how we recognize ourselves'." He then held out the soccer ball towards the boy. He added, "If you have your mind set on accomplishing something, then you should see it through the very end. Don't give up halfway. You'll live to regret it."

The boy stood there silently as he absorbed Seishiro's words. Wiping away his tears, he smiled a little before accepting the ball. "T-Thank you, Mister."

Seishiro nodded and rose. "Now then, since you owe me a favour for comforting you, would you be so kind as to tell me the location of the Ketchum residence?" he requested.

The boy stared back at Seishiro until a look of realization settled on his face. "That's my house, Mister," the boy exclaimed.

"Isn't that a coincidence?" Seishiro drawled. "You must be that _cute_ six-year-old son the Professor was talking about. Isn't that right?"

The boy blushed. "Y-Yes it is, Mister. M-My name is A-Ash Ketchum," he responded timidly. He asked back, "What's yours, Mister?"

Seishiro fixed a mysterious look on his face as he stated, _"Ten no michi o Iki, Subete o Tsukasadoru otoko." _(1)

Ash scrathed his head in confusion. "I don't understand a single thing you just said, Mister," he complained.

"Well...," Seishiro started, "you are not supposed to understand it as your brain isn't mature yet to comprehend the full meaning behind those words. I doubt this will help but the meaning behind one of the words that I said just now was 'Heaven'. Go look up the others in a dictionary. You might even get smarter."

Ash shook his head in exasperation and annoyance. "I still don't understand those big fancy words. I-" He paused. "Hey, did you just call stupid, Mister?" he fumed.

He opened his eyes, intent on giving the stranger a piece of his mind. It was then he realized that the stranger was walking away from him. "W-wait, where are you going, you big meanie?" Ash called out to Seishiro.

Seishiro just absently waved his hand without turning to face Ash and kept on walking. "Whether you choose to stand there like a statue all night long or guide me to your house is none of my concern. Either way, I shall find your residence, with or without you," he cooly stated.

The raven-haired boy drew a sharp intake of breath. "H-hey, d-don't leave me. I'm scared of the dark," he exclaimed as he ran after Seishiro.

They had both been walking for several minutes now. The sky had long ago abandoned its red and orange hue and became a blanket of darkness. Both Seishiro and Ash had not spoken a word to each other since Seishiro had casually mocked Ash's intelligence. The six-year-old was walking a few steps behind Seishiro. He never his took his eyes of the black-haired enigma for a single second. Ash wanted to hate him, he really did. However, he could not find it within himself to do so. Though Seishiro did insult Ash in a way, the teen also comforted Ash when he was crying. No one except his mother and Professor Oak did that. Ash allowed a small smile to occupy his features. He had just found another precious person. That thought left him feeling extremely giddy and warm inside. He also noticed that throughout their short walk together, Seishiro had been staring up into the sky.

"Um..., excuse me, Mister 'Heaven'?" Ash asked.

Seishiro halted in his movements but said nothing. Ash took this as a sign he can ask his question.

"Why do you keep staring at the sky so much? Is it that interesting?" Ash questioned.

Seishiro did not respond to Ash's question. Instead, he pointed his right index finger up into the sky, causing Ash to look up. On cue, a star sparkled into existence, followed by another and another one after that. Soon, the blanket of darkness was decorated with millions of stars. Ash stared at them with glowing eyes.

"Wow, they're so beautiful," Ash observed.

With his index finger still pointing up into the sky, Seishiro stated, "My Grandfather said this, 'When one is lost, always seek the stars for guidance'."

This time, Ash simply nodded even though he did not understand that phrase as well. If he had a choice, he would rather stay stupid than be insulted for his lack of intelligence.

"Have we reached our destination?" Seishiro inquired.

Ash took a moment to examine his surroundings. "Yes, we have," Ash confirmed.

In front of them was a cosy two-storey house with a stony path leading up to it. It had a red roof and two windows on the second floor and one on the ground floor. It was made of both traditional and modern material, mainly wood and concrete. There were various types of plants planted around the house like roses, morning glories and daisies. A huge flowering tree, a _sakura_ tree to be exact, could also be seen beside the house. All in all, the house synchronized perfectly with nature.

Seishiro dusted himself and made his way towards the house with Ash in tow. Soon, they were both standing in front of an elm-carved door. Drawing in a deep breath, more out of fatigue rather than nervousness, Seishiro rang the doorbell. Seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing a young woman. She looked like she was still in her 20's and had shoulder-length brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail and amber eyes just like Ash's. She was wearing a simple pink blouse and a black knee-length skirt. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her with an air of kindness and humility.

"Good evening," the woman greeted Seishiro with a smile. "My name is Delia Ketchum but you may call me Delia. Not Mrs. Delia though as it kind of makes me feel rather old. It is a pleasure to meet you. You must be that mysterious boy that Professor Oak was tellin' me about over the phone."

"You are correct in your assumption ma'am," Seishiro agreed. "I am he who walks the path of Heaven, the man who will rule everything. I am-" He then abruptly turned around and pointed at the _sakura _tree. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past the tree, seperating some of the pink petals from the tree. The wind picked up again as it blew the falling petals towards the three spectators. In one fluid motion, Seishiro spun around to once again face Delia, catching a _sakura_ petal in between his right index and middle finger. As he presented the _sakura_ petal to her, he completed his sentence as he said, "-Seishiro Syuusuke."

Ash once again stared wide-eyed at Seishiro. "Wow! That was some cool special effects, Mr. 'Heaven'," Ash squealed in delight.

Delia agreed with her son as she clapped her hands. "My, my, you sure are a mysterious and enigmatic one," she giggled. "It is as if the whole world is revolving around you."

Seishiro smirked. "You no have idea, Delia," he whispered in a vague tone.

"Hahaha, that last one rhymed," Delia laughed. "Why don't you come in? You must be pretty tired. I was just preparing dinner."

Seishiro smiled and nodded at the kind woman.

The first thing he noticed as he stepped into their humble abode was the living room. The furniture, consisting of a couch, two sofas and an apothecary table were neatly arranged so that they were facing a fireplace. The fireplace was made out of smoothen rocks that were cemented together rather than glass tiles. A lot of picture frames occupied the top of the fireplace. The kitchen was situated at the end of the house while the staircase to the second floor took its place at the top corner of the east wall. Speaking of walls, they were painted with a soft brown tone. The wall lights gave out a faint glow, blending in well with the brown-painted walls.

Seishiro tiredly removed the black scarf around his shoulders, unbuttoned his unique vest and hung them on the coat rack next to the door. He then made his way to the couch and uncharacteristically plopped himself on it as if he were a couch potato. He took a deep breath as he let his body sink into the soft couch. As the fatigue gradually left his body, he hoisted himself up and decided to explore the house of his hosts. He went to the fireplace first. He lazily browsed through the picture frames until one perked up his interest. He picked up his object of interest to examine it closely.

Delia was present in the picture together with a slightly younger Ash who was seated on her lap. Both of them were smiling happily. They were not alone though. Standing beside them was a young man who looked about the same age of Delia. He had the same raven-coloured hair as Ash, but it had a lighter shade. He was wearing a plain white shirt under an unzipped red and black long-sleeved jacket that had some weird tribal designs on the bottom hem of the jacket, a black belt, blue jeans and a pair of red and black sneakers. He was also donning a white cap that was so low, it was impossible to see his eyes. He had his arm draped across Delia's shoulders and was flashing a 'V' sign at the camera. Like the two other occupants of the picture frame, he had a wide grin on his face.

Seishiro placed the picture frame back into its original position and switched his attention to the other two occupants of the room. Ash was busy colouring a drawing of a Charmander with an orange krayon while Delia was busy chopping some carrots. Both of them had carefree expressions on their faces. Even though that was the case, Seishiro could see a bit of hurt in their eyes. Seishiro assumed that it was because of the man he saw in the picture. He further deduced that the man was most likely Ash's father and he must have gone away, most probably on his own journey in order to support his family. A noble cause but hurtful as well. Still, Seishiro could tell that both Ash and Delia were fine with it as the man was only thinking of his family's future.

"Ouch!" Delia hissed from the kitchen.

Seishiro swiftly strode into the kitchen once he heard that cry of pain. Once there, he noticed that Delia was slightly squeezing her left index finger. Silently, he looked over her shoulder. It was then he realized the source of her pain. She had a shallow incised wound on her finger. Blood was flowing out rather profusely. It meant that she might have cut a blood vessel.

Seishiro frowned. "Go and get a bandage for that cut," he advised her. "Just take it easy for now. I'll prepare dinner."

"Oh, no," she objected. "I can't let you do that. It will discourteous to ask a guest to cook for the host. Besides, it's only a small cut. It's no biggy."

Delia then reached out for the knife to resume chopping the vegetables, only to have her attempt shattered as Seishiro quickly grasped her wrist. She once again turned to him to insist that she was fine but stopped when she saw Seishiro looking at her intensely. It was as if the temperature had gone down a few degrees.

Seishiro calmly shook his head. "It _is _a biggy for me," he said firmly. "My Grandfather said this, 'A knife can only bring happiness when used in cooking'. However, a knife is useless when its wielder is injured, no matter how minor the injury may be."

Unlike her son, Delia understood Seishiro clearly and nodded.

Seishiro nodded back. "Now then, clean up and get a bandage for that cut," he repeated. "Leave the preparations to me."

Once she had left the kitchen, Seishiro took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles and began cooking his masterpiece.

Thirty minutes later, Ash and Delia, whose finger had already been cleaned and bandaged, were seated on the dining table. The heavenly aroma that was coming from the kitchen had both of them brimming with anticipation. Never in all their lives had a wonderful aroma stimulated their sense of smell. Though Ash knew it was rude, he could not help but drool like a Growlithe. Finally, Seishiro stepped out of the kitchen with two plates of his mystery food. He placed one plate in front of Delia, one plate in front of Ash and swiftly made his way to the coat rack to retrieve his Pokedex from the left breast pocket of his vest. Both Ash and Delia stared at the food in front of them. It looked like it was a tofu/noodle dish.

"Um..., Mr. 'Heaven'. What is this?" Ash asked.

"The dish is called 'Curry Tofu Noodle Stir-Fry'," Seishiro simply said as he sat on a sofa and activated his Pokedex. "_Bon appetit._"

"Ohh...," Ash mouthed as he and his mother resumed their staring at Seishiro's cooking. Finally, their eyes lit up with happiness.

"It looks delicious!" they exclaimed in unison.

Seishiro resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Save those compliments until after you've tasted my cooking," he suggested.

"Okay!" they happily said as they dug in.

"T-This... is SUPER D-D-DELICIOUS!" Ash yelled with joy as he took his first bite and immediately took his second.

"My baby boy's right," Delia agreed. "The texture, the aroma, the taste. All of them are mixed together in perfect harmony. They are further accentuated by the spices in this dish."

"Ah, so you noticed it," Seishiro stated as he picked up the stylus and tapped the 'MAP' button. "You must have a very good sense of taste."

Delia smiled at that compliment and resumed eating.

Sooner than later, both of them had eaten their fill. Their plates were completely 'cleaned' off. Not a single cube of tofu or a strand of noodle was left. Both mother and son had also fallen asleep with blissful faces. After Seishiro had washed the dishes, he carried the two sleeping beauties to the couch and draped a blanket over them. Satisfied, he sat back down on the sofa and stared at the burning logs in the fireplace. Silence descended upon the household. The only source of sound and light that was present were the burning logs and fire. He flipped open his Pokedex to check the time. It was 12.00 a.m. Nodding to himself, he finger-combed his hair, stood up and walked out the door.

Once outside the house, he made his way to the _sakura_ tree. When he reached it, he just stared at it. He could not help but be amazed by it. The shape of the flowers, the colour of the flower petals. They all give him a sense of... inner peace. The wind picked up a little, sending a few petals floating down. Seishiro caught a lone petal and gazed at it in his palm with a peaceful expression. He sighed as he remembered his past.

_A seven-year-old Seishiro, clad up in a jinbei _(2) _and wearing a pair of geta _(3)_, was busy sweeping the compounds of the shrine which was also his home. Since only he and his Grandfather lived there, he did all he can to lessen his Grandfather's burden. After all, the elderly man had cared for Seishiro for as long as he could remember. It was about midnight at that time. Thankfully, the stars provided sufficient light. He paused for awhile to wipe off a few beads of sweat on his brow. As he was about to resume his sweeping, a sakura petal floated down in front of him. Intrigued, he bent down and picked it up. He examined it before setting his sights on the 'pink' tree, as he had dubbed it, at the far end of the compound. Silently, he walked towards it. He stopped at about three feet from the tree and observed the falling petals._

_"It's lovely, don't you think?" a voice sounded from behind him._

_Seishiro turned his head a little. From the corner of his eye, he could see that his Grandfather was standing right behind him. The elderly man had snow white hair, moss green eyes and quite a few wrinkles on his face. He was wearing a white hanten _(4) _and a grey hakama. Like Seishiro, he was wearing a pair of geta. Despite his old age of seventy, he had the posture of a young adult. In between his fingers was a custom-made kiseru _(5)_._

_Seishiro bent his head respectfully towards his Grandfather and stared back at the tree._

_"Do you know what this tree is called, Seishiro?" the old man asked kindly._

_"No, I don't, Grandpa," the boy admitted._

_Seishiro's Grandfather chuckled heartily. "Always so direct as always," he teased. "This tree is known as the sakura tree, Seishiro."_

_"Sa-ku-ra?" Seishiro repeated._

_"Yes," the elderly man confirmed. "The sakura tree... or cherry blossom, has been regarded by many as a symbol of peace and hope. Besides that, it is said that the sakura tree symbolizes the bonds between a person and his or her precious people."_

_"...Bonds?" Seishiro mummered._

_His Grandfather nodded. "Legends state that should a person present a sakura flower to a precious one and receives a sakura flower in return, their destinies become intertwined with one another. An unbreakable bond and connection that lasts through time shall be formed."_

_Seishiro nodded and a peaceful silence descended upon both of them._

_"Seishiro," his Granfather spoke up. Seishiro looked up at his Grandfather. "Whenever you see a sakura tree..., no, anything that's related to sakura..., I want you to remember me."_

_"...Are you going somewhere, Grandpa?" Seishiro asked._

_"You know as well as I do that I am not long for this world," he said in a solemn voice. "I am not asking anything drastic from you... but I simply request that you reserve a place in your heart for me. That is all."_

_The thought of his Grandfather's death always unnerved Seishiro. He saw the old man everyday. They would eat breakfast together, go fishing together and even participate in the yearly festivals together. To take that away from him was equivalent to stabbing his heart with a knife._

_A lone tear ran down along his cheek before dripping off his chin. "I-I p-promise, G-Grandpa," Seishiro sniffed._

_His Grandfather smiled and hugged his grandson. "Here you go Seishiro," he said as he placed an item Seishiro's small hands. "Keep it with you always."_

_Seishiro unlatched himself from the hug and looked at the item in his hands. It was an amethyst-coloured crystal but it was shaped like a sakura flower. It was too big to fit in the palm of his hand so he held it with two. There was also a rope attached to the crystal. This meant that he was holding a charm/necklace in his hands. He looked up to thank his Granfather but he was gone._

_Sighing sadly, Seishiro stared at the crystal necklace that was too big to fit in the palm of his hand._

Seishiro stared at the crystal necklace that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. He then placed it back around his neck before turning around to go back into the house. He spared one last glance at the _sakura_ tree.

"Grandfather..., you'll always be in my heart," he said softly.

Dawn came by not before long. By this time, Seishiro had already awaken from his short slumber and freshen himself up. Delia and Ash were still sleeping so he took care not to make a lot of noise and risk waking them up. Seishiro was never good at goodbyes so he did not want to deal with one right now. After a simple breakfast of pancakes and toast, he buttoned up his vest, tied the scarf around his neck, slung a grey sling bag, which had bought earlier, on his shoulders and exited the house.

As he was nearing the entrance/exit of Pallet Town, he tapped the Pokeball on his belt, releasing Noctis just a few feet in front of him. They both said nothing to each other as Seishiro was heading towards Noctis. When Seishiro walked past the Umbreon, Noctis turned around and walked beside Seishiro, still remaining silent. Just as they were about to step out of Pallet Town, Seishiro stopped. Noctis walked a few feet ahead and sat on its haunches, waiting patiently for its Trainer.

Seishiro gazed at Pallet Town from the corner of his eye. He thought of the people he had met from Professor Oak to Delia to Ash. Specifically, he thought of Ash. He then raised his eyes to look up into the sky.

"So, he is supposed to be my successor?" he asked no one in particular. "Heaven, Heaven. You truly are extremely and irrevocably whimsical."

The pair of Trainer and Pokemon walked silently down the road, towards the rising Sun, along the path of Heaven, where many challenges await.

* * *

(1)- Walking the path of Heaven, the man who will rule everything.

(2)- A traditional Japanese clothing worn by men, women, boys and girls during summer.

(3)- Japanese footwear that resembles clogs and flip-flops.

(4)- Short winter coat.

(5)- Japanese smoking pipe.

**Done. I think this chap turned out quite well.**

**Read and review. :)**

**I'll be takin' a short break to study for my monthly exams. Sorry.**

**See you until then.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, again.**

**Took a little brainstorming to come up with this one.**

**I'm slightly peeved over the lack of reviews but as long as I enjoy writing this story, I will continue to do so.**

**Still want reviews though. ****T-T**

**Here's Chapter 3.**

* * *

Mew had always been an observant Pokemon. Even if it were just the minor details like the flowers 'awakening' in the morning or the wind caressing her pink fur as she flew in the air, she would took notice and be appreciative of them. It was just those minor and subtle things that made the world such an enchanting and beautiful place to live in. The New Species Pokemon sighed as she thought of her 'father', Arceus. She was the one that the Alpha Pokemon first created. As this was the case, she had the privelege that none of the other Legendaries ever could have experienced. Arceus personally taught her the ways of the universe, how it first came into being and the kind of inhabitants that occupied this universe. He wanted her to be a perfect example for her coming 'brothers' and 'sisters' so he was always strict with her. She was always punished for even the slightest mistake. Despite all that, she pushed on, determined to please her 'father', and please him she did. Years had past and by then she had completed his trials and developed a more playful and carefree nature. However, she still resented Arceus a little for the pain he inflicted upon her. She was glad that her 'brothers' and 'sisters' did not experience the fate she had. In a sense, she was lucky and unlucky at the same time.

Deciding that she had had enough of reminiscing for one day, she dismissed those contemplative thoughts from her mind to focus on the matter at hand. Ho-Oh, who had jurisdiction over the Johto region together with her counterpart, Lugia, was recently given the task of finding the next Chosen One. It was stated that the Chosen One would preserve the peace and balance of the world, according to Arceus. This was also a reason for Mew's resentment of her 'father'. To place that heavy burden on the shoulders of a human without giving the candidate a choice in the matter had left Mew extremely appalled. No matter how much Mew detested the idea, she went along with it anyway as she too knew the importance of the Chosen One. However, whenever it comes a time and place where she had to choose between her 'father' and the Chosen One, she would pick the latter without hesitation. A day after Ho-Oh had received her orders, the Rainbow Pokemon had announced that she had found a potential candidate. As soon as Mew received word of this, she immediately teleported to the Hall of Origins, another trick she inherited from her 'father'.

The 'meeting' room was rather bland in Mew's opinion. Everywhere she looked, white was all that greeted her vision. There was a giant altar but Mew paid no heed to it. She also noticed that she was the first one there. Punctuality. Another trait drilled into her head by Arceus. Without uttering a single syllable, she raised her left paw and conjured up a pink bubble. She floated above it before sitting on it and waited patiently for the others. On cue, three dimensional tears appeared and out came the Lord of Time, Dialga, the Lord of Space, Palkia and the Guardian of the Reverse World, Giratina. The dragon trio took their places to the left of the altar. Next, three orbs of light floated down to the right of the altar and materialized into the lake trio; Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit. Finally, Lugia and Ho-Oh arrived in a burst of water and fire respectively. Mew resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could not comprehend why her 'siblings' would want to make such flashy entrances. It was completely beyond her understanding.

After a few moments, a portal opened up, this time above the altar. What emerged from the portal was none other the God of Pokemon himself. His body colour was white with a grey, vertically-striated underside, the pattern of which has similar recurrences on the underside of his mane, tail and face plus Arceus's four pointed feet were tipped with gold hooves. Hiss mane was quite long, jutting away from his head, and his face was grey, with green eyes and red pupils, and a green circular pattern below his eyes. Arceus also has a streak of gold colouration on his head, and ears that pointed upward. The Original One's neck was fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that was coloured white like much of the body. He also had a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by his round abdomen. The wheel also had four jewels attached to it. The pattern of striated grey of Arceus's underbelly resumed past Arceus's waist, the underside of Arceus's limbs also being grey in coloration, and with extrusions at the tops of the legs. Arceus's tail was fairly like his mane in shape and colouration. The second his golden hooves touched the altar, all the Pokemon bowed their heads in respect.

The Alpha Pokemon surveyed the group of Pokemon before him before announcing_, "Welcome, fellow Legendaries. It has certainly been a long time since we all gathered here. I am sure that all of you know why is it that you have been summoned."_

All the Pokemon present in the room nodded_. "Yes, Father_," they confirmed.

_"Very well," _Arceus started, _"Ho-Oh, if you would please step forward." _Once the Rainbow Pokemon had stepped forward, Arceus queried her_, "You have been entrusted with the task of choosing the next Chosen One yet you have claimed to have found a suitable candidate just a day after you received your instructions. Is this true?"_

_"Yes, Father," _she admitted. When Arceus stayed silent, she continued_, "I know that I should have taken my time in choosing the candidate to hold this important title. However, I have been keeping an eye on this soul long before I received your instructions and I believe that there is none worthy of holding the mantle of the Chosen One other than the one that I have chosen."_

Ho-Oh's conviction piqued Mew's interest. _"Hmm, it is rather rare for a human to capture your interest for such a long period of time," _she wondered aloud. _"Perhaps it is because this soul has qualities scarce from other humans?"_

_"You are correct, Mew."_

The other Legendaries began mummuring amongst themselves. Mew lazily yet carefully probed each of their minds. Mew shook her head when she heard their thoughts.

_"Qualities scarce from other humans? Feh!" _scoffed Dialga_. "What is so special about that? Weren't the previous Chosen Ones the same as well? Weren't they chosen for their defining qualities as well?_

_"The Lord of Time brings forth a good point," _Arceus stated. _"The Chosen One is not decided based on his qualities alone. If you have chosen this soul based on this fact alone, then I am afraid that you must resume your search."_

Ho-Oh was just about to elaborate but Mew beat her to it. _"Hmm..., that was a very interesting thing you said, Father," _she said. All the occupants of the room turned to look at the New Species Pokemon. She continued_, "You said that the Chosen One is not decided based on defining qualities but do you honestly believe that Ho-Oh would make such a stupid mistake? She would never show herself to humans except to those who not only have a pure spirit but also exceptional skill as well. The previous Chosen Ones were specifically chosen by Ho-Oh and they have performed their duties extremely well. Also, about this soul's qualities. Sure this one might have qualities similar to the previous Chosen Ones but what if those qualities were also very unique and unorthodox to those that came before him? Perhaps this is the true reason Ho-Oh chose this candidate. Right, Ho-Oh?"_

This time, Ho-Oh just nodded. The hall grew silent as well.

_"Interesting, very interesting," _Arceus said contemplatively. _"Very well, show us your candidate, Ho-Oh. He shall be judged to see if he is truly worthy of becoming the Chosen One."_

_"At your command, Father," _she said submissively. Taking a deep breath, she opened her beak and started charging up a ball of light. Once she had determined that its size was adequate enough, she launched it to the center of the room. Upon contact with the ground, the ball exploded with a substantial intensity of light that blinded every Pokemon in the Hall of Origins. Once the light died down, they could all see an exact copy of Ho-Oh's candidate standing on the spot were the orb of light just exploded. The copy was a boy that had black hair, sapphire eyes, a scar over his right eye and a very interesting choice of clothing.

Arceus gazed passively at the doppelganger in front of him. He then declared_, "The Judgement shall now be carried out. Uxie, how do you gauge this individual?"_

All eyes turned to the Being of Knowledge. The small fairy-like Pokemon turned his head to the copy. Though his eyes were closed, Uxie used his mind to collect the image of the boy. He floated silently as he judged the boy just as silently.

_"Mystery...and...Enigma," _he stated in a scholar-like tone. _"The individual standing before me is unreadable. I can only describe him as a mysterious and enigmatic boy. As for his knowledge, I am... impressed. His mind's age far surpasses his body's age. It shall be a challenge to unlock this puzzle. I fully agree on Ho-Oh's choice._

After Uxie made his choice, Arceus turned to the Being of Willpower, Azelf. The greyish-blue Pokemon nodded at his 'father' and observed the boy. After his analysis, his eyes widened in disbelief.

_"H-His w-will... is astounding," _Azelf stuttered with excitement. _"He never shows it openly... but he doesn't need to. His will is immovable like a mountain. It never wavers even in the most intense of situations. This boy is capable of acts that require great courage. I can't wait to meet him. I totally agree with Uxie."_

With Azelf done, it was Mesprit's turn to judge the boy. The Being of Emotion closed her eyes as she gauged the boy's emotions. Her body began to shiver as she finished her analysis of the subject.

Azelf noticed this and placed a paw on her shoulder, obviously concerned for his 'sister'. _"Are you alright, Mesprit? What's wrong?" _he asked her.

Mesprit took a few deep breaths before choking out_, "H-his e-emotions. They are s-simply gruesome. Though he is capable of great kindness and often shows concern for others, they is darkness in his heart. Beneath the warm facade lies a ruthless individual that is capable of acts of great cruelty. I-I'm s-sorry but I cannot accept this child as the Chosen One._

Azelf promptly wrapped one of his tails around the disgruntled Being of Emotion. _"It's okay, Mesprit," _Azelf comforted her_, "no one is blaming you. It's only natural for you to act this way as you are the Being of Emotion. We all accept your decision."_

She smiled appreciatively at her 'brother'._ "Thanks, Azelf."_

_"Your welcome."_

Arceus held back a smile as he watched their warm affection for each other. "_Mew, perhaps you would like to go next. What is your evaluation?"_

Mew gazed at the doppelganger with a glint in her eyes. _"...I accept him," _she simply said.

Arceus gazed at her, exasperated at her very short evaluation. Shaking his head, he next turned to the Guardian of the Seas, who nodded at his creator and 'father'.

Lugia said, _"I have no clear opinion on the boy. According to Mesprit, he is unique from the past Chosen Ones as he embraces his dark emotions. This gives me the impression that he is extremely unpredictable. That does not give me enough assurance that he would always fight for the peace of the world. However, he does have exceptional skill and has a huge capacity for growth. Perhaps in time, he would make a great Chosen One. For now though, I will be keeping a close eye on the boy."_

_"Oh..., Lugia. His neutrality on every subject ceases to amaze me," _Mew thought while stifling her giggle.

Growing impatient, Giratina, who was in his Origin Forme, snaked forward and coiled himself around the candidate's copy. The Renegade Pokemon stared deeply into the copy's lifeless eyes with his piercing and menacing red ones.

_"I like hisss heart... and hisss soul," _he hissed elatedly. He elaborated, "_There isss nothing but darknessss in hisss heart. It fillsss me with joy. Strangely, hisss soul isss not affected in any way. It remainsss pure as snow. He isss neither a champion of Light nor a denizen of Darkness. He walksss the path in-between. He isss a knight of Twilight. A very intresssting one indeed. What shall happen when this boy and I crossss pathsss? Hehehe. I'm looking forward to it. I wisssh to savour and dine upon your darknessss. You shall be mine when the time comesss." _

An eerie silence befell the Hall of Origins. It was as if the temperature had gone down a few degrees. Even as Giratina had uncoiled himself from the copy and returned to his position in between Dialga and Palkia, not a single soul in the room dared to utter a single syllable. They were unnerved by what they had just witnessed. Giratina had openly declared his interest in the potential Chosen One. That left a very uneasy feeling in everyone's hearts.

Arceus finally turned to Dialga and Palkia, who were both still tight-lipped. Luckily, Arceus received their evaluation through their eyes. Palkia agreed, Dialga did not.

Nodding to himself, Arceus slammed a golden hoof down, catching everyone's attention. The Original One looked over the group of assembled Legendaries. Closing his eyes, he judged the boy silently. Slowly, he lifted his eyelids, eyes flashing red in the process.

The Alpha Pokemon divinely announced_, "With a verdict of 5 to 3, from this day onwards, the soul which goes by the name of Seishiro Syuusuke shall be known as the Chosen One. This decision is final." _He then commanded_, "Return to your respective regions and resume your duties. Lugia, you stay. We shall have our discussion shortly."_

At Arceus's command, all the Legendary Pokemon except Lugia exited the room the same way they entered it. Mew rolled her eyes again as she watched her 'siblings' leaving in the same flashy manner. As Mew teleported out of the Hall of Origins, she heard words that left a sense of foreboding in her heart.

_"Lugia..., show me your Chosen One."_

* * *

Far away from the Hall of Origins, exactly 5 miles on the outskirts of Pallet Town, a certain Umbreon dipped his paw into a lake and washed his face. Satisfied, he followed it up with the rest of his body. The Moonlight Pokemon then grudgingly shook his body like a Growlithe to dry himself. Finished with his morning bath, the Umbreon lowered his head into the lake until his muzzle touched the surface of the water. He began taking a few gulps of the fresh water. His thrist sated, he pulled back from the water's edge, sat on his haunches and directed his gaze towards the sky. The Sun had yet to reach its peak position. This fact was not that surprising as his Trainer was rather adamant about leaving the town at dawn. Clouds were scarce and the Pidgeys that would so often greet the Umbreon's eyes when he directed his gaze upwards were absent. To the Umbreon, the sky looked like an empty sheet of paper. A gentle breeze blew by, making the blades of grass 'bow' to the nearby mountain as if it were a God. If there was one thing that the Umbreon cherished most about the world, it was the everlasting beauty.

The Umbreon, who went by the name of Noctis, chanced a look upon his Trainer and best friend, Seishiro Syuusuke. The person in question was comfortably seating in a cross-legged position on a large boulder, eyes closed in concentration. When a new day dawns, every being has a morning ritual they go through. Some were not aware of this simple fact. For Seishiro, it was meditating. After taking a few more gulps of water, Noctis made his way in front of his Trainer, sat on his haunches and waited patiently for Seishiro to conclude his daily ritual.

On cue, Seishiro breathed out for one last time and opened his eyes. He uncrossed his legs and stood up, breathing in the cool morning air in the process. He then leapt off the boulder and landed beside Noctis.

_"How goes this session?" _Noctis asked as Seishiro stood up.

Seishiro hovered a hand in front of his eyes before vaguely answering, "The seed has been planted. In time, it shall germinate and grow into a strong tree. Heaven can be quite the procrastinator sometimes." As Seishiro moved the appendage obscuring his vision, Noctis could have sworn that he saw Seishiro's eyes flash red for a moment but the Umbreon just shrugged it off. The black-haired boy promptly took out his Pokedex, activated it and checked the map.

"We are currently at coordinate 0536 and Viridian City is located at coordinate 0576," Seishiro stated as he observed the map. He lifted his eyes from the red gadget and looked at the straight, untared, and dusty path in front of him. He added, "Relatively speaking, if we continue along this path we should be able to reach Viridian City by midday at best."

With that said, Seishiro pocketed the red item and walked forwards, his faithful companion right beside him.

They had been walking for about two hours and still showed no visible signs of fatigue. Three steps quick walk alternating with four steps slow running. This was pace at which they were going at. During their travels, Seishiro discovered that this specific pace allowed a body to move quickly over long distances and still have enough breath and strength to do what you came to do when you reached your destination. It goes to show that a small change can make a big difference.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from one of the trees. Luckily, both Seishiro and Noctis sensed the attack as they leapt backwards and watched as the attack struck the ground in front of them. Once the attack had subsided, the spot on the ground which it had struck was completely black and charred. The pair of Trainer and Pokemon abruptly turned to the source of the attack, which leapt out of tree and onto the ground. Their attacker turned out to be a mouse-like creature that had a yellow body with two brown stripes across its back, cute brown eyes, a pair of pointed ears with black tips and a lightning bolt-shaped tail. It was a Pikachu, who looked at them with slight distaste and curiosity.

Noctis calmly assessed the situation by taking a closer look at the tree where the Pikachu had leapt out of. There were a few scratch marks on the trunk. _"It would seem that we have entered his territory. That tree is most likely the middle point of this one's territorial region,"_ the Umbreon deduced.

Seishiro barely acknowledged Noctis as he took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the Pikachu. The red gadget scanned the Electric-type Pokemon and beeped.

**"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon," **it voiced out monotonously. **"It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks."**

Seishiro's Pokedex then displayed the Pikachu's stats on its screen. The Trainer picked up the stylus from its holder and tapped the screen to get a more detailed scan. The information was displayed almost instantly. Seishiro raised an eyebrow as he skimmed through the information.

"According to Dexter, this Pikachu has a slightly higher stat average compared to normal Pikachus," Seishiro observed. "His strength lies in his speed and agility though I don't know how great his stamina is. All of his other stats are, for lack of a better word, decent. I think this one deserves a battle at the very least."

The Pikachu's ears perked when he heard the word 'battle'. Almost instantly, he dropped on all fours and dashed towards Noctis with a white streak trailing behind the Thunder-type. Due to the velocity of the attack, any debris that was unfortunate to have found its way in front of the attack were blown away five feet in all directions.

"Dodge it, Noctis," Seishiro ordered calmly.

The Umbreon nodded at his Trainer's command. Instead of dodging to the side, Noctis bent his knees, leapt and spun above the Pikachu. Since the Pikachu had basically put his heart into the Quick Attack, he kept on sprinting for about 50 metres before finally skidding to a stop. The Mouse Pokemon took notice of the change of scenery. He was now standing in a vast meadow. It was then that the Pikachu realized that his opponent had abruptly led him to this place. The Pikachu turned around and lo and behold, the Umbreon and his Trainer was right there staring at him with slight smugness.

The yellow rodent grew slightly peeved. He clenched his fists and began to tense up his muscles, particularly the muscles around the cheeks. Almost instantly, his body began emitting a bright yellow glow. With a determined cry, the Pikachu released a couple of lightning bolts from his body towards Noctis.

Seishiro regarded the situation with a lazy eye as he gave Noctis a new command. "Shadow Ball, give it a magnetic effect."

The Moonlight Pokemon slowly opened his maw and began gathering aura particles from the air and mixing it with his own. Soon enough, a jet black ball materialized in front of his mouth. Unlike normal Shadow Balls, this one was spinning wildly. Noctis then snapped his head back before launching it at the Pikachu.

The two attacks sped towards one another. For a second, it looked as though they were going to fly past each other but due to the high spin of the Shadow Ball, the two lightning bolts were instantly attracted to the Shadow Ball and upon contact, created a large explosion. The Pikachu was forced to shield his eyes from the dust and smoke because he was nearer to the explosion. However, this proved to be his undoing as several Shadow Balls shot out from the smoke. Said Thunder-type Pokemon tried his best to dodge them but it was a lost cause as three Shadow Balls simultaneously hit him in the chest, sending him skidding ten feet backwards.

The Mouse Pokemon clutched his chest in pain as he dropped to his knees. Fighting through the pain, he looked up and saw his opponent appearing from the smoke and slowly advancing towards him. Valiantly, the Pikachu stood up and dashed towards Noctis, glowing white and subsequently creating several copies of himself. The copies began to dart around Noctis in hopes of confusing the Dark-type.

Said Dark-type shook his head. _"It is futile," _Noctis began_, "but I commend you for your tenacity. Though you may create illusions of your body, you cannot create illusions of your aura." _As he was lecturing his opponent, he readied a Metal Claw. The Umbreon added_, "There is only one aura signature and it is... there." _With his eyes locked on the real Pikachu, he darted forward and thrust the Metal Claw out, catching the yellow rodent in the gut and sending him flying backwards.

Luckily, the Pikachu was well-versed in acrobatics as he tucked his knees to his chest and did a couple of 360 back flips before landing safely on the ground. However, his knees suddenly grew weak as he fell on his bottom, his energy completely expended. He was not only panting but sweating at the same time. Calling upon his last energy reserves, he weakly opened his eyes, only to see that Noctis was still walking towards him.

The Pikachu gave Noctis a weak smile. _"I... give up," _the Electric-type conceded._ "Y-You win. Tell y-your Trainer that he is free to capture me. I-I won't resist."_

Noctis halted in his movements but still kept a trained eye on the Pikachu. _"Before that, may I ask you a question?"_

The Mouse Pokemon was slightly dazed but still kept on his smile. _"Sure," _he allowed.

_"What is your perspective on life?"_

The Pikachu took his time before answering_, "Well, I always try to see the positives in life. Though there are many challenges, I try to persevere through them. Even when I fail, I don't get sad. I'll just try harder. Also, I believe that there is good in every being, be in human or Pokemon. Those that have wronged in the past should be given a second chance as choosing the wrong path is a normal but understanding problem in this world."_

Noctis closed his eyes. _"...I see," _he muttered. The Umbreon then raised his right forepaw high into the air and began to gather a substantial amount of dark aura. The dark aura began shaping itself into three razor sharp claws.

The Pikachu's eyes widened in fear. _"W-What a-are you doing?" _he stuttered.

Noctis looked at the Pikachu completely devoid of emotion. He reasoned_, "The world... is a harsher place than you perceive. You will not survive long with that kind of philosophy. Your naivety shall be your downfall. To save you from such a fate, I shall destroy that optimism of yours."_

The Pikachu wanted to run, but his body could not move. It was like tendrils of darkness were keeping him shackled to the ground.

**_"Shadow... Slash."_**

The last image the Pikachu collected before he surrendered himself to the darkness was blood that erupted from a diagonal slash in between his eyes.

* * *

**Hope you're okay with that last part. Don't worry. The Pikachu won't die.**

**Review please. :)**


	4. OC Announcement

**After I spent some time thinking, I've decided to involve the fanfiction community in my story. Yes, that means I'll be accepting some OCs. I want some rivals for my OC, though I have already decided on his main rival. However, to avoid overcomplicating my story, I've set some guidelines. Also, I won't accept Coordinators, only Trainers, as my story took place 4 years before the anime and I don't have the confidence to write about Contests.**

**Name: Full name**

**Age: 10-12**

**Appearance: **

**Clothing(casual for now):**

**Home town:**

**Personality: This is what I meant when I said guidelines. I won't accept OCs that 'are cold towards people but show affection towards his/her Pokemon'. I tend to put emphasis on interactions between the characters in my story whether it is humanxhuman, humanxpokemon or pokemonxpokemon.(My character, for example, converses with other humans but in a mysterious and vague tone.) Besides that, please don't give your character _TOO MUCH _of a hero complex.(E.g. He/She hates Team Rocket as they killed his/her parents. From that day, he/she vowed to destroy them.) It's not that I hate writing about heroic people, it's just that I feel weird and uncomfortable about it. I'm more of an anti-hero or neutral type of guy. That's all I ask. Be as detailed as you can.**

**Accomplishments: No winners of Pokemon Leagues please. You can maybe put in minor competitions that your OC has won or number of badges he/she has won.**

**Family:**

**Pokemon: No fully evolved Pokemon. This would be unfair to my character. As my story goes along, only then will they evolve. Just send in 3 Pokemon at this time. I'll loosen it up and allow your OC to have one Pokemon that is in their 2nd evolution phase.(Eg. Ivysaur, Lucario etc.)**

**Species: I'm fine if they have nicknames. History with Trainer could also help. Attacks also are welcome.**

**Potential Pokemon:**

**Battle style: All-rounder, offensive trainer, counter-offensive trainer, defensive trainer or anything that's along the same line. **

**Battle cry:**

**Other: These are simple yet unimportant facts about your OC.**

**That's all. Send them by PM or review.(Preferably PM so that I can ask some questions if I have any in regard with your OC)**


	5. Chapter 4

**I have no specific number of OCs I want to include in my story.**

**So long as they are interesting to me, I'll try my best to include them.**

**That's all I wanted to say.**

**Here's a platter of Chapter 4.**

**

* * *

**

Pain. That was the only word that could describe what Pikachu was feeling right now. He had picked up a great number of injuries in the past but none as severe as this. It was like someone had poured highly corrosive acid on the yellow rodent's face. He did not even want to think of the scar that would serve as a constant reminder of the consequence he had to suffer due to his impulsiveness and complacency. His head was throbbing and beads of sweat were running down his face. He prayed that the searing pain would stop. He could not stand it anymore. Pikachu wished he could die right now and meet his parents in Heaven. There, they can live in eternal peace and happiness.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Curious and somewhat thankful, he blearily opened his eyes. He immediately noticed something different. The Mouse Pokemon could only see through one eye while the other one remained in darkness. He grew frantic as he moved his hand to touch the blind eye. Relief spread throughout his body when he realized that it was just bandages that were obscuring half of his vision. With great effort, he hoisted himself up to a sitting position and noticed that he was lying on a makeshift bed of sheets. He looked down at his body and noted that the injuries that he had sustained from the fight with the Umbreon were expertly bandaged up. Looking around, he came to the conclusion that he was in a campsite. The campfire, the tent and the sleeping bag were a dead giveaway.

"So, you have finally awakened," a voice sounded from behind Pikachu.

Pikachu drew a sharp intake of breath. Mustering up his courage, he slowly turned around. He sighed in relief as it was only the Umbreon's Trainer that greeted his field of vision. He really did not want to deal with the Umbreon at that moment, especially after what the Moonlight Pokemon did to him. A wonderful aroma pervaded his sense of smell, interupting Pikachu's train of thought. He looked up at Seishiro who was holding a steamy bowl of something. The human then knelt down and held the bowl towards the bewildered Pikachu.

"Here," Seishiro offered, "it's mushroom soup. You need to build up your strength. I suggest you sip it slowly as it is still rather hot."

Pikachu craned his neck forwards and sniffed the broth. It looked edible enough and it was the source of the wonderful aroma that stimulated Pikachu's sense of smell earlier. Gratefully, he accepted the bowl from Seishiro and began sipping the warm soup.

Seishiro settled down beside the Pikachu and silently observed the cute rodent eating his fill. He had picked up quite the number of injuries but fortunately Seishiro managed to treat them to the best of his abilities. It was the injury on the Pikachu's face that concerned Seishiro. When Noctis slashed the Pikachu, some of the leftover dark energy seeped into the cut. Seishiro thought that it would cause major complications but so far the Pikachu seemed fine. Still, Seishiro wanted to keep an eye on the Pikachu just to be safe. That meant that he had to capture the Electric-type.

By the time Seishiro had reached a decision whether to capture him or not, the Pikachu had finished the soup. The Mouse Pokemon placed the bowl on the ground and moved closer to the black-haired teen. The Pikachu promptly leapt onto Seishiro's lap and nuzzled his chest. This action brought a faint smile on Seishiro's features as he lightly scratched the Pikachu behind his ear, eliciting a soft _'Cha' _from the rodent's lips.

"I still have not captured you yet, little one," Seishiro informed the Pikachu.

Pikachu paused and looked up at Seishiro, tilting his head in confusion.

Seishiro presumed that the Pikachu wanted an explanation for not capturing him. The boy explained, "When I found you, you were bleeding profusely. It would be unjust if I were to capture you without treating you first. I treated all your minor injuries easily enough but that slash on your face was tedious work. By the time I was done, the Sun was already setting. The reason I took so long was that the dark energy that Noctis used to slash you had seeped into your wound. Due to this, I had to be extremely delicate in treating that wound on your face. However, you are not out of the woods yet. That dark aura is still within you. I cannot really say if it will affect you in any possible manner but I am not willing to chance that. I want you to come with us. Not only can I keep an eye on you this way but I can also train you. That dark aura is extremely potent. You have to become stronger if you want to keep it in check. The decision is up to you."

Pikachu stared blankly at Seishiro, digesting what the sapphire-eyed teen just said. The full weight of those words suddenly fell upon his shoulders. He looked down and felt the bandages that covered his right eye with his tiny paw. A tear rolled down his left cheek and dripped off his chin.

_"S-So, if I d-don't follow this human, I'll d-die," _Pikachu thought gravely._ "When did my life turn out s-so badly? He said those words with such conviction. Maybe he can help me. B-But if I follow this human, t-that m-means **he** will be there as well. Those eyes... t-they pierced my soul. That Umbreon cut me down with no remorse. I'm not sure if I can spend one minute with **h-him**. But what is m-more important? My happiness o-or my l-life?"_

After a long inner debate, Pikachu finally looked up at Seishiro. A steady stream of tears were now freely flowing down his left cheek. The Electric-type slowly and shakily nodded.

Seishiro nodded back and wiped away Pikachu's tears with his scarf. The Pokemon Trainer then touched the spot in between the Pikachu's eyes with his right index finger. Pikachu did not flinch as he knew that the black-haired teen would not hurt him.

"If you are going to travel with us along the path of Heaven," Seishiro started, "then you shall require a new name. A name that reflects your strength, your resolve and most importantly, your instinct. Tonight, the old you shall wither away and be reborn anew. From this way onwards, your name shall be Levitas... Levitas Telum.(1)

Levitas closed his only functional eye and sighed in relief. It was as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He opened his eye again and saw his new Trainer holding a Pokeball towards him. Without hesitation, the somewhat rejuvenated Pikachu tapped the button in the center of the ball. The ball expectedly opened and shot a red light at Levitas which engulfed him and pulled him into the ball. The dual-coloured ball beeped a couple of times before becoming stationary. Seishiro picked up the ball and released Levitas.

The Pikachu shook his head a little to get rid of the nausea that came from being inside a Pokeball. Though he knew that he could do nothing about the nausea at first, the Mouse Pokemon predicted that he would overcome it in the long run. Levitas then felt himself being scooped up by the sides of his body by his new Trainer. Seishiro then laid Levitas down on the makeshift bed of sheets.

"Get some rest," Seishiro advised Levitas. "We start moving by dawn so you should get plenty of sleep. I am going to train Noctis for awhile. This session will be more... intense after what he did." With all that said, Seishiro rose and disappeared into the darkness of the woods.

Levitas smiled at that last sentence. Taking one last look at the disappearing form of his savior, he laid down on the makeshift bed and closed his eye. That night, he dreamed about his parents.

* * *

Levitas knew that they were going to start moving very early in the morning so he made a mental note to wake up earlier than usual. He always woke up at about 8 o'clock anyway. Obviously no one told him that in Seishiro's vocabulary, 'early' meant 5 o'clock in the morning. If this was not bad enough, the manner in which Levitas was woken up agitated him even more. The Pikachu would have settled for a simple nudge but instead, it was a bucket of freezing cold water, which contents were mercilessly splashed on his face, that awakened him from his peaceful slumber. Pikachu had half a mind to shock the perpetrator who had the guts to do that to him but those thoughts were erased completely when he realized that it was Noctis who had done the bad deed. He would much rather avoid suffering another life-threatening injury due to his impulsiveness.

After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, tomato soup and milk, Levitas watched Seishiro and Noctis go about their daily rituals with interest. Seishiro was meditating while the Umbreon was cleaning himself in a rather meticulous manner. This caused Levitas to consider having a ritual of his own to fit in with his new travelling companions. He was shook out from his train of thought when Seishiro leap off the boulder that he was meditating on. The black-haired teen then whistled causing Noctis to abandon his ritual and bounded towards Seishiro. Levitas followed suit soon after. Seishiro knelt down as soon as Levitas was standing opposite him.

"Let's take off that head bandage of yours," Seishiro suggested. "Your injury should have healed by now."

Levitas fixed Seishiro with an incredulous stare. _"But I thought you said that my head injury was extremely severe?" _the Pikachu wondered aloud. _"Surely it can't fully heal within a day. That's just plain crazy talk."_

Seishiro smiled smugly at the look of disbelief etched across his new companion's face. "When **I** treat minor injuries, they usually take up to ten minutes to completely heal but when** I **treat severe injuries, at most they take up to a day to heal," he informed Levitas as he unwrapped Levitas' head bandage.

_"How high and mighty can one person get?"_ Levitas sweatdropped.

With the bandage completely removed, the Electric-type hesitantly lifted his right eyelid. He blinked once, twice and thrice. He could not believe it. He could see from his right eye. He then touched the spot where Noctis had slashed. As he expected, he felt a scar.

"That's a rather nice scar you got there," Seishiro complimented as he ran his fingers along the Pikachu's scar. "We're now one of a kind, you and I."

Levitas turned a bright shade of pink at Seishiro's compliment.

Noctis grew tired of watching the warm interaction between the two and decided to intervene. "For your knowledge," Noctis informed Levitas, "we shall be travelling non-stop towards Viridian City. It should take about four hours at most so do not hesitate to go into your Pokeball if you are tired."

Levitas' shyness turned to annoyance. "Four hours? Hah!" Levitas exclaimed. "I can keep going for ten hours straight. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

With a high-pitched cry, he sprinted ahead of Seishiro and Noctis. The two just stared at the shrinking form of the new addition to their group.

_"He's going to be eating his own words soon enough," _Noctis observed.

"Agreed."

A few hours later, Noctis' assumption was proven correct. Though Levitas was ahead of Seishiro and Noctis by a wide margin earlier, the Pikachu was now lagging behind them. Seishiro had offered to carry Levitas the rest of the way but the Electric-type kindly refused. Not only did Levitas want to prove his mettle to Seishiro but he also did not want to show weakness to Noctis, the one who 'gifted' him the scar. It was not that Levitas _hated _the Dark-type. It was just that Levitas was perplexed that Noctis had not apologized yet.

The trio soon arrived at their destination, Viridian City. They stood in front of a large arch leading into the city. The phrase 'The City of Evergreen' was chiselled into the marble arch.

"Hmm..., 'The City of Evergreen', huh? A simple yet powerful phrase," Seishiro commented.

Suddenly, a 'thud' sounded from behind Seishiro and Noctis. They both turned around to see that Levitas had collapsed on his side. The Pikachu was breathing heavily and looked simply flushed.

_"It would seem that our new 'friend' has bitten off more than he can chew,"_ Noctis stated as he lifted the Pikachu onto his back.

"Strange. You're rather helpful today," Seishiro observed.

_"I'm not doing this for him," _Noctis denied. _"I just do not want him to slow us down."_

"I guess I'll take your word for it," Seishiro snided.

Without another word between them, they entered the city.

This city, located in western Kanto, was quite flattering for the eyes. There were quite a number of tall buildings but unlike Seishiro's home town of Hiun, they were not clustered together. Besides that, there was a variety of shops ranging from cake shops to coffee shops. The modern buildings mixed in well with the natural greenery. There was not a single corner in the city that was not beautified by nature. The city certainly lived up to its name as 'The Evergreen City'.

One of the famous cafes in the city was the renowned Bistro La Latte. You can get almost any kind of coffee here. Whether it is cappuccino or cafe au lait, you name it, you got it. This place was also frequently visited by a rather... unique individual. Said individual was... squatting on a chair outside the cafe. Her hair was rather short like a messy boy's style and was dark brown in colour. She had some dark circles under her eyes but she does not seem tired at all. Her face features were rather like an elf's as she had weird pointy ears and a delicate face. The brooding girl was donning on a simple white shirt and dark blue jeans. As for her footwear..., she had none. Her only accessory was a small bracelet that she wore on her wrist. There were charms of every Fire Type Pokemon on the bracelet.

The boy-like girl was busy stacking sugar cubes on top of one another. Suddenly, two sugar cubes toppled from its tower. She promptly picked them up and dropped them into her espresso. She then stirred the coffee with a strawberry lollipop before placing the sweet back into her mouth. Pressing her lips against the cup, she slowly sipped her beverage. She placed the cup back onto its saucer and silently watched people from different walks of life go about their daily business with mild interest. As fate intended it, Seishiro and his two Pokemon crossed her field of vision. Her once bored eyes were now focused intently on the black-haired boy. Feeling intrigued, she got up from her chair and silently followed her object of interest.

"Such a unique individual," she thought with slightly higher-than-average enthusiasm. "I wonder what makes him tick? Whatever it is, I shall find out."

The trio of travellers had only entered the city for just a few minutes and already Noctis had sensed a disturbing presence. _"Seishiro, you do realize that we are being followed," _Noctis informed his Trainer.

Seishiro was nonchalant with his reply. "I know that. Since my powers have awakened, albeit very little, my aura awareness has been greatly augmented. I detected a strange aura the moment we set foot in this place. Judging from her aura, she is a rather inquisitive person and probably a part-time detective." He then boasted, "She would most certainly have her work cut out for her as I cannot be unraveled so easily."

Noctis rolled his eyes at that last sentence. _"His pride knows no bounds," _the Umbreon thought exasperatedly.

Seishiro, with his two Pokemon in tow, had soon reached the Pokemon Center. Without a comment about the amazing exterior of the building, they entered through the revolving doors. The first thing that greeted Seishiro sights was the abundance of Trainers. Deciding that they were not worth his time, Seishiro directed his gaze elsewhere. He saw a front desk with a pink-haired nurse standing behind it, a lobby with vending machines, a Pokeball room, rooms for lodging and a cafeteria. There was also a wide screen television fixed onto the west wall with several couches facing it. The twelve-year-old headed straight to the front desk with Noctis, who was still carrying Levitas, not far behind. As soon as they were in front of Nurse Joy, Seishiro picked Levitas up from Noctis' back and placed the Electric-type on the counter.

"Would you mind treating this little one?" Seishiro requested.

Nurse Joy said nothing as she examined Levitas. "Where did this Pikachu get this scar?" she asked with a slight frown.

Seishiro face features betrayed no emotion as he lied, "He was being chased by a flock of Spearows. I would assume that one of them managed to get in a lucky slash. Me and my Umbreon drove them off and I treated the wound on his face. That's the story."

Nurse Joy still felt very suspicious of Seishiro. "When did this happen?" she queried further.

"Yesterday" was Seishiro's simple reply.

That was apparently good enough for Nurse Joy as she reverted back to her cheerful and bubbly self. "You must really be an expert in first-aid to heal an injury as severe as this one in just one day. It's remarkable."

Seishiro stayed silent as Nurse Joy heaped praise after praise upon him. "Such a talkative one. Completely unprofessional," he muttered under his breath.

The pink-haired nurse finished her examination of Levitas and concluded, "There's nothing wrong with this little guy. He's just exhausted." She then suggested, "Why not just check into this Pokemon Center?" She opened the registration book and placed it in front of Seishiro. "It would be much more convenient than hotel and it doesn't cost a single cent."

Seishiro wordlessly picked up the pen and signed in. The black-haired Trainer then scooped up Levitas and made his way towards his assigned room with Noctis following obediently.

There was not anything special about Seishiro's room. It was the same as the others. There was a desk and a chair plus two sizeable bunk beds. Seishiro proceeded to carefully lay Levitas down on one of the beds and drape a blanket over the tired Pikachu.

"Noctis, please keep an eye on him," Seishiro requested. "I am going for walk."

The Umbreon nodded at his Trainer's request. The Dark-type then leapt onto the other bed and curled up while keeping an eye on the Pikachu at the same time.

Seishiro nodded back and casually exited the room. As he was about the push the revolving doors to exit the Pokemon Center, Seishiro stopped in his tracks. He had detected the strange and disturbing aura again. This time, it was very close. He diverted his gaze from the revolving doors and directed them towards the lounge area. The 'source' of the unnerving aura was sitting on one of the sofas with her knees up by her chin. On the table in front of her were bowls and bowls of ice cream from vanilla to green tea. On a side note, she was staring at Seishiro with her Zigzagoon eyes. Undeterred by her penetrating gaze, Seishiro gave her a smirk before stepping through the revolving doors.

"Still can't figure him out," the eccentric individual mumbled. "I need some coffee-flavoured ice cream."

* * *

Seishiro silently walked down the streets of Viridian City. He did not really have a specific destination in mind so he allowed his feet to carry him wherever they want him to go. A sense of nostalgia befell upon the black-haired boy as he allowed his gaze to wander about the tall structures of 'The Evergreen City'. The buildings reminded him of his futuristic hometown, Hiun City. Though he and his grandfather lived in a temple on top of mountain just outside the city, the mountain was considered to be under Hiun City's jurisdiction. Seishiro and his grandfather would always journey down the mountain to attend the spectacular festivals the city held. Seishiro remembered his favourite black and white yukata that he used to wear to those festivals. An eyebrow twitched as he reminisced about the hordes of girls that would chase after him every single time he went to a festival. To make matters worse, his grandfather would just turn a blind eye.

By now, Seishiro had reached the city square. Being centrally located, the city square was surrounded by small shops such as bakeries, meat markets, cheese stores and clothing stores. At the center of the city square was an enourmous fountain with a statue of the New Species Pokemon, Mew, situated just in front of it. Seishiro looked down at the pavement and noticed that it was designed in such a way that if you are on board a helicopter in the sky, you could see a giant mural of Ho-Oh, the Guardian of the Skies. In fact, Seishiro was so intrigued by it, he did not notice that he was standing in front of the Mew statue. He only realized it when he looked up and the statue was the first thing that greeted his sights. The twelve-year-old just stared at the pink statue in front of him. He did not know why, but he felt drawn to the statue for some wierd reason. To make things even more strange, the statue was _coincidentally_ holding out its paw towards him.

"Is this some sort of sick joke Heaven is playing on me?" he wondered with annoyance.

Against his better judgement, he raised his right index finger and touched the outstretched paw. Instantly, he felt a jolt throughout his body. It was like he was being electrified with 100,000 volt Thunderbolt. He immediately jerked his finger away from the statue's paw and glared at it. To rub salt into the wound, Seishiro could have sworn that the statue was laughing at him. The black-haired boy forced himself to take a deep breath and exhaled. He then hovered his right hand over his face.

"What was that?" he asked no one in particular. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes flashed red for a brief moment.

Meanwhile, high above in the sky, a certain New Species Pokemon was watching this event unfold with a devious grin. _"Hope you like my gift, O Great Chosen One," _she soliloquized.

With that said, Mew teleported away.

* * *

Seishiro had returned straight to the Pokemon Center after that earlier incident. On the way to his room, he passed by the Zigzagoon-eyed girl, who was eating some coffee-flavoured ice cream at that time. When he entered his room, he found everything to be right where he had left them. Noctis was still watching over Levitas, who was still sleeping. Without a word, he settled down beside Noctis and closed his eyes.

The day soon turned to dusk. Seishiro opted for a change of routine and decided to travel at night. Noctis was fine with it as he preferred night over day anyway. However, Levitas was a different matter all together. The Pikachu practically begged for Seishiro to reconsider his decision. Unfortunately, Seishiro was having none of it as he suggested Levitas to go inside his Pokeball if he wants to sleep. Swallowing his pride, Levitas did just that.

As the pair of Trainer and Pokemon walked down the lobby towards the exit, Seishiro noticed something different. Something was out of place. The strange boy-like girl was nowhere to be seen. She was not on the couch nor was she in the cafeteria. She did not strike Seishiro as the type who would give up so easily but he would much rather not have a stalker following his every movement. Seishiro and his companion casually walked past Nurse Joy who was busy brewing a cup of coffee. She noticed them a second later.

"Excuse me young man but where are you going this late at night?" she curiously inquired.

"To continue on my journey down the path of Heaven," Seishiro replied.

Nurse Joy stared wide-eyed at the vague boy in front of her. "You should know better than to travel at night," she chided him. "There's a high risk that you can be targeted by thugs or worse, have your Pokemon stolen from you."

Seishiro gave the astonished nurse one of his trademark smirks. "No one can harm me," he said confidently.

Nurse Joy began to grow frustrated with Seishiro. "And what makes you so sure?" she prodded.

"I will decide what path I'll walk," he started. Seishiro then made his way to the revolving doors but did step through them. Instead, he turned around and pointed his right index finger at Nurse Joy, who suddenly shuddered. Seishiro continued, "And one more thing. My Grandfather said this, 'Those who live in fear will never see the light of day'." He and Noctis promptly exited the Pokemon Center, leaving behind a confused Nurse Joy.

If Seishiro was expected everything to be smooth sailing after that minor interruption, he was wrong. As soon as Seishiro exited the building, he grew agitated at what entered his field of vision. The brooding and depressing girl from before was squatting on a stool in front of him, eating a bag of potato chips. Her gaze was still as sharp as a Staraptor's.

Seishiro sighed. "If you have something to say to me, this may your best and only chance to do so," he stated.

The strange girl ceased her eating. A minute ticked by. Finally, she said her first words to Seishiro. "You interest me."

Seishiro frowned. "If that is all you have to offer, consider this meeting between us null and void," he snided as he walked past the girl.

"I consider you a very complex puzzle," she elaborated causing Seishiro to halt his movements. "I pride myself in my ability to decipher individuals whom I have never met almost instantly. However, you have me completely stumped. You are the first one to truly test the capabilities of my inquisitive mind and you are putting up quite the fight. I hypothesized that the only way I can even come close to figuring how your mind works is through a Pokemon battle. Though I'd much rather not resort to this, you have forced my hand."

Seishiro took a moment and closed his eyes, a calculating look occupying his features all the while. He then half-opened his right eyelid to glance down at Noctis, seeking the Dark-type's confirmation. The Umbreon gave him the green light. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and connected them with the brown-haired girl's. He nodded with an unfaltering gaze.

"Fine, I'll humour you just this once," Seishiro drawled as he swept a hand through his hair.

A small smile crept onto the newcomer's face as she nodded back. She jumped off the stool, carried it over her shoulders and proceeded to walk past Seishiro. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants, he followed the insomniac-like girl.

* * *

Both of the combatants now stood on opposite sides of a grass field located in the Viridian City Park. The city administrators had the field erected to avoid Trainers having their battles at random areas of the city. There seemed to be signs of a battle being fought using the field as a battleground. The slightly charred surface of the field spoke for itself. Nevertheless, both combatants viewed the state of the field to be rather irrelevant. Seishiro and the no-name girl stared at each other in complete silence. Finally, the silence was broken.

"Before we begin, may I know who am I facing?" Seishiro asked.

"...Rowan," the girl responded.

"...I see," Seishiro muttered. "I guess it is only natural that you would use an alias to avoid someone from controlling your fate."

Though it was very subtle, Seishiro saw Rowan's eyes widened, albeit a small fraction. Wordlessly, Rowan, who was again squatting on the stool she carried with her, withdrew a Pokeball from her pocket. She gave it a few tosses in the air before resting her head against it. She then slowly distanced the Pokeball from her forehead and stared at Seishiro.

"Get in, Jay," she whispered as she lobbed the ball into the air.

The dual-coloured ball promptly burst open in a bright shade of light to reveal a mammalian creature with brown fur, a bushy tail that had a cream-colored tip, and a furry collar that was also cream-colored. The brown-furred creature also had big ears and pink paw pads. As it landed on the ground, the brown fox-like creature slowly lifted its eyelids, revealing emerald diamonds. It was Noctis' pre-evolution form.

**"Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon," **Seishiro's Pokedex beeped from his vest's pocket. **"A rare Pokemon with an irregularly genetic code. It has the potential to evolve into one of seven different Pokemon."**

"An Eevee," Seishiro observed. "The pleasant memories are coming back to me." He then suggested, "Why don't we see how this little one fares against one of his evolved forms?"

Getting the message, Noctis stepped forward to be Jay's opponent. The Umbreon could tell from the Eevee's body language that it was feeling rather apprehensive and nervous about facing him. Since Jay was a part of Noctis' kin in a manner of speaking, Noctis decided to play the role of a seasoned clan member.

_"There is no need for you to be feeling this nervous," _Noctis advised Jay._ "Instead, you should be relishing in this opportunity to battle me. This may help you in deciding which of the seven evolutions that you wish to become."_

Jay calmed down considerably after hearing Noctis' advice. The Eevee's ears perked up as he smiled at his older kin.

_"T-Thanks," _the Eevee stuttered._ "My parents always said that Umbreons are not trustworthy but you seem nice. Let's have a fun battle, 'kay."_

Noctis allowed a small smile to grace his features as he watched Jay express his enthusiasm.

Both pairs of Trainer and Pokemon stared down the other, daring them to make a move. A gentle breeze blew across the grassy field, clearing it up of excessive debris. After a full three minutes staring each other down, Seishiro decided to take the initiative and attacked first.

"Noctis, start out with Agility," Seishiro commanded.

The Umbreon complied with his Trainer's command as he sprinted towards the Eevee while repeatedly vanishing and reappearing at different spots with a white streak trailing behind the Dark-type.

"Sand-Attack, Jay," Rowan ordered calmly.

Jay promptly tensed his legs muscles. Then, the Eevee did several 360 spins. This action caused dirt to be kicked up into the air and due to the circular motion of Jay's attack, the dirt and debris formed a type of barrier that prevented Noctis from getting any closer to the Eevee. Noctis took note of the situation, abandoned his attack and returned to his original position.

"You know...," Rowan suddenly spoke out, "a Pokemon's battle style is said to reflect the Trainer's personality. Based on that minor skirmish, I deduced that you wanted to test out how my Eevee would react to speed-based attacks. This gives me the impression that you are the cautious type. Still, it is still to early for me to judge you."

Seishiro chuckled mockingly as he said, "Cautious type? You are a rather strange yet interesting individual and I commend you for your deductive skills. Unfortunately for you, I'm not one to be unraveled so easily and you have only scratch the surface of what Noctis can really do." Seishiro paused awhile before he called out to Noctis, "Show our opponents the true form of Agility."

Noctis took a deep breath upon hearing Seishiro's command and closed his eyes.

"Keep your guard up, Jay," Rowan cautioned her Eevee. "The enemy might come from any angle, so watch out."

At the same Rowan finished her instruction to Jay, Noctis deftly opened his eyes and disappeared with a static sound. Almost instantly, the Umbreon reappeared behind Jay with a readied Shadow Claw. Noctis then swung the Shadow Claw at Jay mercilessly.

Rowan's eyes widened fully this time. "Jay, dodge it quick!" she yelled out to Jay.

Jay turned his head to see a Shadow Claw just inches away from hitting its mark. Registering signs of danger, his brain immediately sent the motor impulses to his feet and Jay leapt sideways, seemingly avoiding the Shadow Claw. As he skidded a distance away from Noctis, the Eevee suddenly coughed out blood.

Rowan's eyes turned blank as she saw Jay coughing out blood.

Seishiro noticed this and explained, "That... is the true form of Agility. This complete form allows the user to move at extreme speeds, so much so that the user seemingly teleports from one place to another."

Rowan subsequently reverted back to her calm disposition. "How very interesting," she expressed. "Does it have a name?"

"Not in the books anyway," Seishiro answered nonchalantly. "But if you must know, I call it... **_Volatus _**(2)."

"You really are creepy," she lazily informed him. She then commanded, "Jay, fire multiple Shadow Balls at your opponent."

Though a bit shaken up, Jay did as what he was told as fired several black and purple balls at Noctis. Perspiration was void in Noctis' dictionary as the Umbreon effortlessly dodged the projectiles aimed at him. Suddenly, he heard a static sound behind him. From the corner of his eye, he could tell that it was Jay. The fact that the Eevee was behind him did not bother Noctis but it was the fact that Jay had used **_Volatus _**to get into his current position.

Seishiro narrowed his eyes at the Eevee. The boy was slightly intrigued that the Eevee could perform **_Volatus,_** even if the form was not that complete.

Rowan sensed Seishiro's interest in her Eevee and elaborated, "Jay has been blessed with unparalleled observation skills and thus will only need to see a move just to understand its mechanics and perform it." She then blatantly drawled, "Though I would very much like to tell you about Jay's history..., I don't want to. Use Iron Tail while your opponent is vulnerable, Jay."

Jay's brown-furred tail suddenly took on a bright silver gleam as he leapt and swung his tail at Noctis' head, clearly going for a one hit K.O. Unfortunately for Jay, very few things could unsettle Noctis, especially in battle, as the Umbreon knew that battles were very unpredictable. The fact that Jay used **_Volatus_** to get around him supported this fact. Noctis deftly readied a Metal Claw and blocked Jay's Iron Tail before it hit its mark. Since the Dark-type had more upper body strength than the Normal-type, Noctis easily owerpowered Jay and sent the Eevee flying backwards.

However, this was not enough to deter Jay as the Eevee once again used **_Volatus_** to get around Noctis. Without instruction, the Eevee fired a Shadow Ball at Noctis. Said Umbreon slowly raised his paw and smacked the Shadow Ball back at Jay.

"Dodge it, Jay!" Rowan called out.

Jay was able to shake himself out of his stupor and sidestepped the attack. The Shadow Ball singed a little of Jay's fur and struck a tree, causing it to fell.

Seishiro closed his eyes and sighed. "A _**Volatus**_ and Shadow Ball combo," he stated contemplatively. "Not bad for a beginner but it seems that the strain of using that extreme speed technique is finally showing."

Rowan frowned slightly at Seishiro's words and looked at her Eevee. The brunette sighed as Seishiro was right again. Jay looked unusually exhausted. Beads of sweat were dripping off the Eevee's chin. Though Rowan had not place a major priority on training, she knew that Jay had more stamina than this.

"Allow me to explain," Seishiro offered. "**_Volatus_** is a great technique but the stronger the technique, the greater the risks. More limits are placed on attacks that are more powerful. To overcome this, a Pokemon must condition the body in order to withstand the strain of using high-powered techniques." He then cheekily remarked, "I guess you don't place a major priority in training, judging from the state of your Eevee."

Rowan's eye twitched but she did not comment.

Seishiro opened his eyes. There was a serious glint to them. "Noctis...," he began, "end it."

Wordlessly, Noctis opened his maw and gathered his dark energy, creating a pulsating Shadow Ball. He promptly used _**Volatus **_to appear in front of the tired Eevee.

Rowan immediately jumped down from her stool. "Watch out, Jay!" she yelled.

Jay tiredly raised his head to see a Shadow Ball right in his face. Accepting his fate, the Eevee closed his eyes as Noctis fired the Shadow Ball at point blank range, causing an explosion.

Rowan shielded her face to prevent to smoke from going into her eyes. Though she may look calm on the outside, she was shaking on the inside. Her father had given her Jay to help out with her detective work. Though she and Jay did not exactly get along at first, overtime they nurtured an unbreakable bond. Her heart would shatter into pieces if Jay left her now.

As the smoke subsided, she could make a shape that making its way towards her. She squinted her eyes to see that the shape was Noctis, who was carrying Jay..., who was strangely healed and bruise-free. Rowan just stood there, extremely stumped. She was snapped out of her reverie as Noctis tugged her jeans with his maw. Silently, she scooped up Jay and cradled the Eevee in her arms.

"You should be grateful," a voice sounded from behind her.

She did not need to turn around as she knew it was Seishiro.

"Noctis was benign enough to heal your Eevee with Moonlight," Seishiro stated. "Since there was full moon tonight, the move's healing effect was greatly augmented." He continued, "You said to me earlier that I was the first one to challenge the capabilities of your inquisitive mind. Unfortunately, your brains are not sufficient enough to decipher me. You must make your Pokemon stronger. Try to push me into a corner and maybe I'll offer you a gist of my true self."

"It would seem so," Rowan agreed, not a hint of anger in her tone. "Before this encounter, I could care less about battles. Amazingly, you have managed to ignite my inner fire that I never even knew existed." She then started to walk away. "Next time we meet," she said as she disappeard into the darkness, "I will come out on top and figure out on how your mind works."

As the mysterious girl disappeared, Seishiro looked down at Noctis. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed something interesting.

"There's a cut below your left eye," Seishiro observed.

Noctis ran a paw through the aforementioned spot and held the paw away from his face. There was a streak of red on the pink pad of his paw.

"That Eevee..., he has potential. He just needs to find it and harness its power," Noctis stated in a knowing tone.

Seishiro smiled at Noctis' expectation of his younger kin. The black-haired boy swept a hand through his hair and stared up into the sky. "Things are finally starting to get interesting."

With that said, Seishiro, with Noctis by his side and Levitas... in a Pokeball on his belt, resumed his journey with the light from the Moon offering guidance.

* * *

(1)- Lightning Bolt

(2)- Velocity

**Done. Phew.**

**A special thanks to S.L.O.N (you know who you are) for your OC.**

**I'm still accepting OCs for your information. Just refer to the OC form on the previous page.**

**If you have any questions, just PM me.**

**Review, please and thank you.**

**Sayonara, for know anyways.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Took a while to get this chapter done.**

**It is up to all you readers to decide whether this chapter is good or not.**

**Chapter 5, illuminate.**

* * *

The Sun rose from behind the mountains that enclosed a populated area which was widely known as the Stone Grey City. The gradually noticeable sunlight was slowly pushing away the blanket of darkness that enveloped the city. It was as if the forces of darkness were retreating in fear from the forces of light. It was a new day for the residents of the city as most of them began to awaken from their slumber and resume their journey through life that was as brief as a candle.

A pair of turqouise-coloured eyes was looking down at the city below from atop a hill. The striking pair of eyes belonged to a boy of twelve years. Said boy had silver hair which parted slightly on the left side of his head with the bangs spiked upwards. The individual's choice of clothing was also rather unique. He wore a short-sleeved, ghost white jacket with a silver stripe going along his shoulders to the ends of his sleeves. The jacket's collar was rather high and was ash grey, as were the ends of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the jacket. There was a black kanji symbol, which carried the meaning 'salvation in light', prominently displayed on the left breast of his jacket. He also appeared to be donning a black undershirt, as well as black pants and white sneakers with what appeared to be a blackish trim on the bottom.

The boy diverted his gaze from the citiy to the rising Sun. "Our fateful encounter draws ever so near, denizen of darkness," he soliloquized.

Without another word, he slung a bag over his shoulders and descended down the hill and into Pewter City. With each step, his bright green eyes gradually faded into a platinum tone.

* * *

Levitas expected to wake up in a confined space. The Pikachu vaguely remembered going into his Pokeball once his attempt to make Seishiro reconsider his plan to travel at night failed miserably. Instead, the first thing that Levitas saw when he opened his eyes was a green tarpaulin above him. Still feeling sleepy, Levitas groggily raised his body to a sitting position so that the Electric-type could better observe the surroundings. The Mouse Pokemon noticed that he was in a tent and the zipper was already opened.

_"Seishiro and Noctis must have woken up earlier," _Levitas thought.

Since his brain did not have sufficient oxygen, it sent a message to Levitas' jaw muscles, causing the Pikachu to yawn loudly. Levitas then stood up and began conducting a series of stretches before ending his new morning routine with twenty press-ups and twenty sit-ups. Though Levitas would have preferred to laze about during this time of the day, the Pikachu knew that he must do all he can to catch up with Noctis. The Electric-type did not require a brain stem to figure out that Seishiro's training sessions were always intense. Satisfied with his morning exercise, Levitas took a deep breath and exited the tent.

As soon as Levitas set foot outside the tent, he was immediately attacked by the cool and fresh morning breeze. He giggled as the wind caressed his yellow fur. It was as if the wind was blessing him and wishing him luck in facing a new day. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end as Levitas was once again splashed with freezing, cold water. He stared through half-lidded eyes at the perpetrator, who was Noctis, as his joyful mood took a turn to 'gloomsville'.

_"Was that really necessary?" _Levitas yelled exaspeartedly._ "I'm awake, aren't I?"_

_"Not early enough," _Noctis calmly replied._ "Unless you can wake up at the same time as me and Seishiro, you'll find that your fur shall always be soaked every morning. On a side note, the cold water helps get rid of lingering sleepiness." _The Umbreon then made his way to Seishiro, who was sitting on a nearby stump and cooking breakfast, after he concluded the lecture.

Grudgingly, Levitas trudged after Noctis.

After filling their bellies with a moderate breakfast, the trio sat down facing each other in a circle. Seishiro had his eyes closed in deep concentration. His two companions, Noctis and Levitas, waited patiently for their Trainer's next course of action. Finally, Seishiro opened his eyes and addressed his two Pokemon.

Seishiro took note of their surroundings. "We are currently in Viridian Forest," he stated. "Under normal circumstances, I would prefer we just past by this area. However, the circumstances today are anything but normal. This setting provides a suitable and peaceful place for me to train you guys, especially you, Levitas."

The Pikachu sheepishly scratched his head in embarassment at the mention of his name.

Seishiro propped an elbow on his lap, rested his head on his hand and looked at Levitas. "According to Dexter's scan," Seishiro started, "you are primarily a hit-and-run type of battler. This is evident as your speed and agility are quite superb despite your young age. However, your stamina level is simply atrocious and your other essential battle stats like offence, defence and special attack are very undeveloped." Ignoring the depressed look on Levitas' face, Seishiro continued, "To counter your shortcomings, I have prepared a special three-day training regime especially for you. We will be focusing on improving your stamina and special attack power over the next three days."

Levitas nodded, eager to start his training right away. Still, he could not shake this sense of worry that he won't be all that jovial by day's end.

Seishiro promptly stood up from his sitting position and dusted himself before explaining, "This meadow that we are currently standing in is fairly large. The ground here is also flat so you should not encounter any difficulties." Sensing Levitas' confusion, Seishiro elaborated, "The first thing I want you to do is to jog at least twenty laps around this meadow. This is just a warm-up to the actual training so I do not want any complaints, do you understand?"

Levitas feebly nodded. The Pikachu was not quite sure whether or not he could pull this off this feat but those thoughts were completely erased once he thought of the events that had occured over the past few days. Images of his meeting with Seishiro and his battle with Noctis flashed before his eyes, the latter memory being more vivid than the former. His determination sky-rocketed as he replayed the image of Noctis slashing his face again and again. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Levitas started his first lap without as much as a 'go' from Seishiro.

Noctis observed the determined Pikachu jogging around the meadow. _"The three-day training regime..., you used to put me through those back when I was Eevee," _the Umbreon stated contemplatively. _"They were always brutal, those regimes. Whenever I successfully endured one, I felt that my body would cease to function at any moment. It was as if I was suffering from haemophillia. Therefore, I am curious, Seishiro. Do you honestly think that Levitas is capable of braving through this trial?" _

Seishiro gave Noctis a wry smirk. "To tell you the truth..., the chances of Levitas successfully completing this training regime is less than 10%," Seishiro said honestly.

_"Then why did you force this upon him?" _Noctis prodded.

Seishiro's answer was immediate. "The reason is because he has one thing that allows petty things like chances and odds to be disregarded."

_"And that would be...?" _Noctis prodded further.

Seishiro turned his gaze to Levitas, who had just completed his fifth lap around the meadow. "Resolve," Seishiro answered. He added, "It is the one thing that allows us to overcome even the hardest of trials. So long as we have resolve, nothing is impossible." He then looked at Noctis. "Levitas has you to thank for giving him that resolve."

_"Why is that?" _Noctis asked, even though the Umbreon already knew the reason.

Seishiro played along with Noctis' act. "When you gave him that scar," Seishiro began, "you also gave him a goal. At that moment, you challenged Levitas to surpass you. You see him as your successor. Even though Levitas still can't comprehend the reason behind you giving him that scar, I am sure he made it his goal to defeat you in a rematch."

_"Unless he has amazing discipline and growth rate," _the Umbreon stated stoically,_ "my defeat shall forever be an unattainable dream for him."_

"We shall see, won't we?" Seishiro chuckled.

Noctis said nothing but silently agreed.

Levitas completed his first warm-up exercise under Seishiro's guidance ten minutes later. His fur was slightly soaked with sweat which added a bit of weight upon his shoulders but the Pikachu could care less. As far as the next phase of training was concern, Levitas was eager to tackle it head on. And tackle it head on he did.

"Now that your body is all warmed up," Seishiro observed as Levitas drank some cold water, "it is time for the real training to commence." Seishiro immediately drew a thin line on the ground with his foot. He explained, "I want you to sprint from this point to that large boulder at the other end of this meadow. Once you reached that boulder, return back to the starting point and repeat the process fifty more times."

_"F-F-Fifty?"_ Levitas stammered, disbelief etched across his face.

Seishiro tilted his head. "Is there a problem, Levitas?" he _innocently_ inquired.

Levitas took a step back at the tone Seishiro was using. _"N-No, nothing's wrong,"_ Levitas stumbled with his words. He then exclaimed_,_ _"I-In f-fact, I can do a hundred, no sweat."_

Seishiro stared blankly at Levitas. "Okay, then please do a hundred," he ordered with a firm tone.

Cursing himself and swallowing his pride, Levitas started his journey through hell.

* * *

It was midday when Levitas finally completed his first stamina-building exercise..., or torture in his opinion. As soon as he crossed the starting line which was also the finish line, his body chose to declare mutiny and thus, Levitas ended up sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. The Pikachu was finding it very difficult to breathe. It was as if an Arbok was practically squeezing the life out of him. Levitas shuddered as he once had a bad experience with an Arbok. He then heard a small 'thud', as if something was being placed in front of him. The Electric-type feebly raised his head and a bottle of isotonic fluid entered his field of vision.

"You have exceeded my expectations," Seishiro remarked. "When you said that you could do a hundred laps, I thought that you had just dug your own grave but you proved me wrong. You've got a commendable resolve." Seishiro then removed the bottle cap before announcing, "We shall be having lunch now. After that, you have one hour of leisure time before we resume your training."

Levitas barely even acknowledged Seishiro as the Pikachu was busy taking huge gulps of the rejuvenating drink.

Unlike Levitas, whose attention was only focused on finishing his drink, Seishiro was always on the alert and thus it was thanks to that alertness that he sensed a foreign and... vibrant aura signature spying on him and his companions. Seishiro stood up from his kneeling position, dusted himself off and sighed.

"There is really no point in you spying on me for your knowledge," Seishiro announced. "I've detected your presence about thirty minutes ago so why don't you show your face? I'm curious as to what soul has the bravery to interrupt us."

On cue, a rustle sounded from behind the nearby bushes. Seishiro, Noctis and Levitas turned to the bushes, slightly interested in knowing their peeping tom. The individual that emerged from the bushes made Seishiro question humanity's sanity. The individual, who was a girl, had fair skin, ultra violet eyes that had a mysterious glint to them and icy blue hair put up in a ponytail and held together by a Cherrim hair clip. She wore a moon and star pendant on her neck besides a Lunar Wing bracelet on her left wrist. Her choice of attire was just... grotesque in Seishiro's opinion. She was donning on a cyan miniskirt, which had a giant sea blue ribbon on the rear along with some laces, and a vivid pink frizzled blouse which had Cherrim patterns on it. However, all of this was nothing when compared with her footwear which was a pair of bright orange boots.

"First a Zigzagoon-eyed girl and now I have to deal with a freak of fashion," Seishiro muttered under his breath. "Grandfather must surely be grinning from ear to ear in the afterlife."

"What did you say?" the girl asked with a high-pitched tone which leaning closer to Seishiro. She then exclaimed, "If the words that you're saying can't be heard by anyone near you, then you shouldn't bother saying anything at all."

Seishiro's left eye twitched. "Loud and obnoxious as well. How exciting," he thought exasperatedly. The sapphire-eyed boy forced himself to take a deep, long breath before addressing the girl, "To whom may I have this _displeasure_ of meeting on this ruined day?"

The violet-eyed girl flipped her hair..., or at least attempted to as her hair was quite short, before announcing,"I am beautiful, self-confident and super powerful. My name is Alice Lunar Midnight. Nice to met'cha, Mr. Black-and-White."

Seishiro simply stared at the hyper girl in front of him with a stoic expression after her introduction, clearly unimpressed. The girl too stared back at Seishiro. A gentle breeze blew in between them. It was truly an awkward moment for Alice.

Alice noticed the silence and jabbed a finger at Seishiro's face. "Hey, what's with that stone face?" she asked in frustration. "That wasn't how you were supposed to react."

Seishiro innocently raised an eyebrow. "Oh," he began, "so I am supposed to be impressed by that introduction of yours? You make me laugh. Who goes around saying 'I am beautiful, self-confident and super powerful'? Those prideful words mean nothing if people do not feel the same way." Seishiro then raised a finger before continuing, "My Grandfather said this, 'First impressions are key towards achieving success in life'. Unfortunately for you, I see your first impression as being rather atrocious and grotesque."

Alice narrowed her eyes at Seishiro after he insulted her. "Now you listen here buster, I-"

"That's beside the point," Seishiro cut her off abruptly. He then added, "I could really care less if you are angry at me but I am curious as to why you had been spying on me for the past half hour. Care to explain?"

Alice gazed at Seishiro for awhile before realization dawned upon her. "I remember now," she stated. "I came to chastise you for treating your Pikachu so badly."

Seishiro shook his head at her choice of words. "Do you even know what 'chastise' even means?" Seishiro questioned her. Before she even got a chance to reply, Seishiro explained, "It means to punish or reprimand severely, especially by beating." He then regarded Alice with an amused expression before challenging her, "Are you sure that you can punish me? Your small frame really does little to convince me that you are capable of such a feat."

Alice immediately countered, "Are kidding me? I know that I can't punish you physically so I've settled with beating your high and mighty ego. Let's have a battle right now."

"Before we get to that," Seishiro began, "what gave you the impression that I was treating my Pikachu badly?"

Alice looked shocked at his question. "Are you blind?" she mocked Seishiro. "Have you seen how torturous your so-called training is? Just look at your Pikachu. He is extremely exhausted and fatigued. Don't you feel any remorse for putting him through all that?"

"No," Seishiro deadpanned. "My Pikachu knew what he was getting into when he allowed me to capture him. He knew that my training was very tough and intensive. He wanted to endure this training so that he may become stronger. My Grandfather said this, 'To progress through life, one must experience pain'. It is only through pain that my Pikachu can tap into his inner potential."

"At what cost?" she objected vehemently. "Your Pikachu could die from all this training. Did that possibility ever crossed your mind?"

"If he dies, then he would die knowing that he tried his best in his pursuit to realize his dream," Seishiro replied monotonously.

Alice threw her hands in the air. "You are unbelieveable," she exclaimed. "Enough talk. You. Me. Battle. Now."

Seishiro thought a moment before sweeping a hand through his hair. "Let's make it a little interesting," he said. "The loser has to cook lunch for the victor. What do you think?"

Alice stared blankly at Seishiro. "What has that got anything to do with this matter?" she inquired.

Seishiro shrugged as he announced, "I'm feeling rather famish and so are my Pokemon."

Alice sweatdropped at the casual tone he was using. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Fine," she agreed. "Not only will I defeat you but I will also be getting a free lunch. This is my lucky day."

Seishiro smiled mysteriously. "Luck never favours those of the foolish," he whispered under his breath.

Alice retreated about thirty steps to ensure that there was adequate space for their Pokemon battle. She then unclipped a Pokeball from her waist belt before enlarging it. She took a deep breath and toss the Pokeball into the air before exclaiming, "Light, time to shine in battle!"

The white light that burst from the Pokeball materialized into a Fire-type Pokemon. The Fire-type's top half of its body was blue in colour while the lower half was cream-coloured. It also had triangular ears with red-coloured insides, a small, rounded nose and five red-coloured spots on its body; two in a somewhat exclamation-mark shape on its forehead and three lined up horizontally on its rear. Its eyes were open, revealing its red irises.

**"Quilava, the Volcano Pokemon and the evolved form of Cyndaquil," **Dexter conveniently beeped from Seishiro sling bag..., which happened to be about twenty metres from the site of battle. **"It intimidates foes with intense gusts of flames and superheated air. Its quick nimbleness lets it dodge attacks even while scorching an enemy."**

"Hmm, Dexter sure covers a wide range," Seishiro remarked.

The black-haired boy felt a tug on his pants, prompting him to look down. Levitas was looking up at him with an eager expression. Sighing, Seishiro knelt down before Levitas.

"I know that you are eager to have your first battle but you risk further exhaustion and even injury by doing so," Seishiro stated in an apologetic tone. "You wouldn't be able to continue your training if that happens. Just be patient. You shall get your chance when the time comes."

Levitas was disappointed but he saw the reason behind Seishiro's argument. _"Alright," _he accepted. _"Just don't make me wait too long 'kay."_

A faint smile crossed Seishiro's features as Levitas retreated back while Noctis stepped forward to challenge Light, as if the Umbreon had heard their conversation.

Speaking of conversations, the two battlers were having their own pleasant conversation.

_"...You seem quite strong," _the Quilava, Light, mused_, "but you don't look like a battle-hungry Pokemon like those I fought in the past. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

Noctis inclined his head a little in a show of respect. _"Likewise," _the Umbreon replied._ "Your eyes reflect those of a seasoned battler. Have you been travelling in other regions besides this one?"_

Light nodded. _"Yes," _the Quilava confirmed. _"My trainer and I have braved through Johto and Sinnoh but she doesn't have the desire to compete in Pokemon Leagues there. It's rather frustrating but I respect her decision."_

_"I am sorry for my insensitivity," _Noctis apologized.

Light shook her head._ "Think nothing of it," _she dismissed._ "You can make up for it by giving me and my trainer an enjoyable battle."_

_"We plan to," _Noctis announced.

A second after the Dark-type and Fire-type concluded their conversation, the battle initiated.

"Use Dig, Light," Alice commanded, taking the initiative.

Light heeded her Trainer's call as she jumped up and burrowed deep into the ground. Noctis' eyes darted left and right, scanning the ground for any vibrations. Predictably, a small tower of pebbles toppled behind the Umbreon. Tensing his leg muscles, Noctis leapt upwards. A second later, Light emerged from the ground with a wheel of flame surrounding it. Out of sheer instinct, Noctis readied two Metal Claws and struck the Flame Wheel with all his might. Though the fur on his forepaws were slightly singed, the Dark-type's wager paid off as the Flame Wheel was sent hurtling back towards the ground.

Alice smirked. "This match is in the bag," she announced. "Light, cancel your Flame Wheel and end it with Eruption."

The Fire-type promptly uncurled herself, cancelling the Flame Wheel in the process and landed on the ground, directly below Noctis. The Quilava then spread her legs apart and channelled her aura to the five red-coloured spots on her body. She gave a cry as her whole body glowed red and a geyser of ash and lava shot from her back, heading directly for Noctis. Unfortunately, the Dark-type was still airborne and could only watch as the lava engulfed him.

Alice did a little 'happy dance'. "Hah, I told you we would win," she boasted. "I want some steak for my lunch. Make it medium-rare."

Seishiro regarded the events that had occured before him with an impassive gaze. The boy then closed his eyes and swept a hand through his hair before stating, "The battle is not over yet."

"Huh?" she mouthed. She diverted her attention away from Seishiro to the subsiding geyser of ash. When the smoke particles completely dissipated, her eyes grew wide with shock. Instead of seeing a charred Umbreon, she saw nothing. It was as if the Umbreon had disappeared into thin air.

Alice's gaze fell on Seishiro again. The boy casually snapped his fingers. On cue, Noctis reappeared in front of Seishiro, a static sound preceding his reappearance. Also, the Umbreon looked practically unharmed, save for the singed fur on his forepaws.

"H-How?" she stammered. "Your Umbreon was up in the air. It's impossible for him to dodge unless he has a pair of wings."

Seishiro nonchalantly flipped his hair before he simply said, "I shall leave it to your imagination." He then commanded, "Noctis, ready yourself a Metal Claw and employ a hit-and-run strategy."

The Umbreon closed his eyes as his forepaws once again took on a metallic sheen. The second the Dark-type lifted his eyelids, he immediately disappeared in a buzz of **_Volatus_** and reappeared in front of Light. As Light was not expecting this attack, she was smacked across the face and sent sliding to the side. Unfortunately, the Quilava was not gifted the opportunity to recover her composure as Noctis deftly vanished and reappeared beside her in a split second, repeating the pattern for several times.

Alice swiftly came up with a solution. "Light, use Fire Spin to defend yourself."

Though the Quilava was being battered, she could make out her Trainer's words as she increased her grip on the ground and skidded to a halt. The Fire-type then released a spiraling fire from her maw into the air. The spiral of fire suddenly grew fierce as it practically enclosed Light in a pillar of fire. The strategy proved to be successful as Noctis halted his attack to avoid the scorching hot flames.

"It is rather amusing to see that some people think alike," Seishiro mused as he remembered that Rowan employed a similar strategy in their battle. He then cautioned Noctis, "Keep your guard up. Your opponent's actions are unpredictable just like yours. In short, she is an all-rounder."

Noctis nodded as his eyes were locked on the twister of fire. As it died down, Noctis expected to see Light standing in the center. Instead, he saw a deep hole which meant that the Quilava had used Dig. Before Noctis could change his stance into a more defensive one, Light emerged from below Noctis and slammed into his gut, launching the Umbreon into the air.

"Flamethrower, now!" Alice hastily commanded.

The flames on the Quilava's head quickly flared up as she released a spiraling vermillion-coloured flame towards Noctis. As with the earlier situation, Noctis was one step as he used **_Volatus_** to avoid the Flamethrower and reappear in front of Light, who grew wide-eyed again.

"Shadow Claw, Noctis," Seishiro ordered calmly.

The Umbreon held out its paw to the side and channeled some dark energy into it, creating a large black claw which was swung at Light, scoring a hit just above the Quilava's left eye and sending her sliding backwards.

Alice clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Don't let that Umbreon push you around like that," she encouraged her Pokemon. "Use Swift to counter."

Light knew that if she had skidded to a halt, it would give Noctis time to come up with a counter-strategy. As this was the case, Light chose to leap backwards into the air and fired yellow stars from her maw towards Noctis.

Swift was generally an unavoidable attack so Seishiro simply told Noctis, "Endure it."

Noctis boredly sat on his haunches and closed his eyes, grunting as the yellow stars struck his body.

"Light, are you okay?" Alice called out in concern.

'Okay' was not exactly the best word to describe the Quilava. Blood was oozing out of the cut above her left eye and messing with her vision. Light looked around and noticed that the ground was slightly muddy. Thanking Arceus, she scooped up some mud and applied it to the cut above her left eye. It was not a bandage but at the very least it stopped the bleeding. Light then ignited the flames on her back to show her Trainer that she was fine, albeit just barely.

"That's a relief," Alice exhaled. The girl scanned the battlefield and noticed that Noctis still had his eyes closed shut. She quickly ordered, "End this with Fire Blast while your opponent is still immobile!"

An instant after Alice issued that command, Light's red irises turned bright orange and her whole body became surrounded in a fiery aura. The Quilava then took a deep, long breath before releasing a monumental stream of flames which took on the shape of a kanji that carried the meaning 'big'. Though the flames were inching towards Noctis, the Dark-type did not flinch nor seemed concerned about them. Instead, the Umbreon simply stayed put. When the flames were just inches away from hitting their mark, Noctis tilted his head to the right, causing the flames to harmlessly pass by him and struck a random tree, engulfing it in a blazing inferno.

Though Noctis was fortunate to avoid the flames, the inhabitant of the tree was not. The inhabitant of the tree was a Pidgey, which had just finished cleaning its nest. All of the Pidgey's hardwork ammounted to nothing as the nest was instantly reduced to ash when the stray Fire Blast struck the tree. The Pidgey did not escape unscathed either. The Dual-type's body, especially its left wing, was completely burnt. The once-clean brown and light brown feathers were reduced to a grey tone. Also, the pain that the Pidgey felt was truly excrutiating to the point that it actually fainted and fell to the ground with a 'thud'.

Both pairs of Trainer and Pokemon heard the 'thud' and recognized its source. Alice had her hands over her mouth and Light's eyes were wide open. Both of them were speechless and just plain shocked.

"W-We didn't mean to do-," the female Trainer stammered.

"Save it," Seishiro cut her off. He then stoically commented, "What heartless individuals you both are. Even in the heat of battle, one must always keep in mind his or her surroundings to avoid any... unnecessary casualities."

Alice and her Quilava looked down in shame.

Thinking on his feet, Seishiro swiftly withdrew an empty Pokeball on his belt and threw it at the motionless Pidgey. The dual-coloured ball struck the Pidgey on its right wing and predictably sucked the injured Pokemon inside the Pokeball. The capsule did not even shake as the Pidgey was unconscious and too tired to even put up a struggle.

Although Alice was still shaken by what had just happened, she still found the audacity to criticize Seishiro. "You should not have take advantage of it like that. Instead, we should've postpone this battle to treat it and then release it back into the wild."

Seishiro regarded Alice with a lazy eye. "It does not matter whether I took advantage of it or not. What matters is that I seized an oppurtune moment with the least amount of effort," he said. He added, "Do you think that the Pidgey's wounds were superficial? You should get some spectacles. Given the state of its injuries, it would take at least a day for me to treat those injuries. That is why I captured it. If I did not, then the Pidgey shall realize that it is still a wild Pokemon and try to escape even though its injuries are not fully healed yet."

Alice meekly nodded in understanding. "It seems that I may have misjudged you," she admitted.

Seishiro waved his hand dismissively. "This is not the time for apologies of any sort," he stated bluntly. Unbeknownst to Alice, Seishiro put his other hand behind him and snapped his fingers. On cue, the Pokeball shot from the ground into his hand. The black-haired boy really did not want to explain to Alice how he had been bestowed with the power of telekinesis(1).

"Let us resume our battle."

Alice perked up and punched the air. "Just you wait, I will be getting my steak," she announced enthusiastically. She then ordered, "Light, use a full power Fire Blast!"

"Noctis..., Dark Pulse," Seishiro commanded in an ominous tone.

Once again, Light's red irises turned vermillion and her body became surrounded in a bright fiery aura. The Quilava was not the only one to be surrounded in aura as her opponent was being enclosed in a frightening and ominous purple-coloured aura. With a cry of determination, Light fired a steady but powerful stream of flames towards Noctis. Unlike the Quilava, Noctis stayed silent as he slowly opened his maw and released a beam of black and purples circles imbued with his dark thoughts which began to push back Light's Fire Blast when the two attacks connected. Though Light tried to push the two attacks back at the Umbreon, the overwhelming power of Noctis' darkest thoughts was too much for the Quilava. Still, the Quilava deserved credit for holding out long enough for the two attacks to explode a few feet in front of her. The force of the explosion sent Light sliding backwards and caused debris like sharp stones and twigs to be launched into the air.

Alice crossed her arms over her face to prevent the ash from entering her eyes while Seishiro simply hovered his right hand over his face. The smoke gradually subsided, giving both Trainers a clear view of the battlefield. Light, Alice's Quilava, was barely standing and her body was marred with multiple bruises. The wound above Light's left eye had opened up again and blood was oozing out of it. In comparison, Noctis... was gone. There was not a single trace of him on the battleground. Alice's eyes darted left and right, searching for the absent Umbreon. Her eyes finally fell on Seishiro who had a somber expression on his face.

Seishiro closed his eyes. "_Is est terminus(2)," _he announced. He then faced away from the confused Alice and ordered, "Dark Pulse."

What Alice saw next shall be forever burnt into her eyes. A Dark Pulse shot from underneath the ground and struck her Quilava's gut, sending the Fire-type several feet into the air. Through sheer will, Light managed to manoeuvre her body and rolled to the side,watching as the Dark Pulse travelled higher into the air. Unfortunately, she had no energy to make a safe landing so the Quilava landed on her back. The Fire-type moaned as waves of pain washed over her.

Every thought in Alice's mind was completely erased as she raced towards Light. She scooped up her injured friend and sighed in relief when she saw that the Quilava was still breathing. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she hugged the Fire-type. Though injured, Light still found the energy to comfort her human friend as the Quilava tiredly licked her cheek. Both of them smiled at each other.

The relieved Trainer suddenly heard footsteps coming towards her. She looked up and saw Seishiro and Noctis, who had just emerged from one of the holes made by Light, gazing at her silently. She too stared at the pair before her silently. The gears in her head were not turning due to the shock of seeing her Quilava in pain. Finally, she was broken out of her reverie.

"Follow me," Seishiro said as he and Noctis walked away from her.

Still at a lost for words, she complied with Seishiro's request and followed the pair of Trainer and Pokemon.

* * *

Seishiro once read a book about Pokemon behaviour. He had found a section on the behavioural patterns of a Quilava. According to the book, the cries of a Quilava can be heard a mile away. That theory was proven correct as Light was giving out cries and hisses of pain that could have shattered glass when Noctis applied some antiseptic on the Quilava wounds before bandaging them up. As Noctis inflicted those wounds upon Light, the Umbreon felt that it was his responsibility to treat them. Though Noctis was a..., for lack of a better word, ruthless battler, the Umbreon also possessed a high degree of knowledge regarding first aid. When you have travelled with someone for three years without any purpose, you tend to have loads of free time and Noctis used them wisely by reading lots of medical journals, with Seishiro's help of course.

Alice stared in awe as she watched Seishiro's Umbreon treat her Quilava. "Wow," she began. "I didn't know that a Pokemon is capable of first aid. It's... astonishing."

"There are a lot of things that humans do not know about Pokemon," Seishiro drawled. "Most of them can't accept the fact that in some fields, Pokemon are better than them. Of course, when compared to me, Noctis still has a long way to go if he wants to pursue a career in healthcare."

"What is it with this guy and his inflated ego?" she thought vehemently.

A thought suddenly triggered in her mind. "All that aside, there's one thing I'd like to ask you," she started. She then exclaimed, "Why the hell do I have to cook you lunch anyway? Shouldn't you be pitying me instead of treating me like a servant?"

"I pity only Pokemon and not humans" was Seishiro's casual reply.

"Fine, whatever," Alice spat. She then slammed a plate that had a fish-shaped charcoal on it in front of Seishiro. There was also some mayonnaise splattered on the charcoal in a way that it resembled a skull and a pair of crossbones.

"Hope you like mackerel," she said grudgingly.

Seishiro stared at the dish in front of him. He then announced, "It's a chunk of ashes."

Alice's eyebrow twitched as she pointed a spatula at Seishiro. "Now you listen here buster," she began her tantrum, "despite the fact that I hate your guts, I put my soul into making that dish for you so the least you could do is-"

She was cut off in her tirade when Seishiro dropped a lighted match onto the fish-shaped charcoal and completely burning it to ash. "Perhaps I should have said that it was garbage instead of a chunk of ashes," Seishiro mused as he stood up and walked away.

Alice collapsed on her knees as she watched her cooking burning away. This really did not help in her low self-esteem.

Alice was still in the same position thirty minutes later. Her cooking had been reduced to actual ash about ten minutes earlier but the trauma of seeing her own cooking burning away like that was too much for her. It was as if she was a robot in need of dire maintenance. And dire maintenance was what she received.

A beautiful aroma suddenly stimulated her sense of smell. Alice hesitantly looked up and saw Seishiro standing there with a plate.

"If you want to try claiming you cooked something," Seishiro advised her as he set the plate down on the ground in front of her, "at least make it this good."

"What is this?" Alice asked. The dish was mostly made up of broccoli and pasta.

"It is _Millerighe Alla Panna Con I Broccoli_," Seishiro said as he placed three bowls of food in front of Noctis, Levitas and Light.

Alice had half a mind to burn the dish to give Seishiro a taste of his own medicine but the appearance and smell of the food convinced her otherwise. She picked up the spoon on the plate and scooped up some broccoli. Tentatively, she ate the spoonful of greens.

All of her worries disappeared in that instant as the broccoli stimulated her taste buds. It was as if she was floating freely in the sky without a care in the world.

"This is...HEAVENLY!" she exclaimed as she started to gobble up the remaining content of the dish.

She was not the only who was having a 'heavenly' time. The bowl that Seishiro placed in front of Light had some grilled chicken fillet and wild blueberries. The moment the Quilava swallowed her first bite, she felt as if she was transported to the other end of the universe.

_"This meal is superb," _Light commented._ "This dwarfs the 'charcoal' food I had to eat up until this point." _The Quilava then looked at Noctis before asking_, "Does every meal your Trainer cooks taste this good?"_

Noctis offered Light a mysterious smile._ "Some of his dishes taste even better than this. My Trainer's Grandfather said this, 'Each meal only happens once in your life, so make each one the most important'_," the Umbreon copied Seishiro's tone.

_"Have you figured out the meaning behind that saying?" _Light prodded.

_"That saying does not exactly have an actual meaning. Each soul on this planet may have their own unique interpretation of it," _Noctis replied.

Light chuckled at Noctis' impersonation of his Trainer. _"You and your Trainer are like two peas in a pod," _the Quilava remarked.

Noctis frowned a little. _"I would much rather not be compared with Seishiro. He is his own person and I am mine. He has his own faults while I have mine. It is as simple as that," _Noctis stated impassively.

Light raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in attitude but chose not to comment. It was not any of her business anyway. Instead, she focused on savouring and finishing her splendid lunch.

"Ah..., that really hit the spot," Alice said blissfully as she licked her plate clean. "Thanks for the food."

Seishiro disregarded her being grateful to him. Instead of a usual 'you're welcome', Seishiro said, "I would appreciate it if you would leave us now."

Alice looked like she was about to throw another tantrum but managed to keep her emotions in check. She took control of her impulsiveness for once and thought deeply. Satisfied with her brief but meaningful thinking, she turned to Seishiro.

"I understand," she accepted. "I've interrupted your training session for too long, haven't I?" When Seishiro nodded, she continued, "I'm sorry. It's just..., I can't stand seeing a Pokemon suffer. I really thought that you were torturing your Pikachu. But if you can cook food as tasty as the one I had just now, then you actually do care for your Pokemon. Once again, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

Seishiro smiled faintly at Alice, glad to see that the girl was exhibiting hints of maturity. "Just don't go around judging books by their covers. You may regret it," Seishiro advised her.

Alice nodded, appreciative of Seishiro's advice. She stood up, dusted herself and returned Light into her Pokeball. "Welp, she ya later, Feraligatr," she said as she happily skipped away.

"The imp finally hops away," Seishiro sighed in relief. The black-haired boy then turned to Noctis and requested, "Would you mind supervising Levitas' training for awhile?"

Wordlessly, Noctis stood up, dragged a grumbling Levitas and pushed him into a large lake.

Chuckling at the sight of Levitas flailing in the lake, Seishiro unclipped the Pokeball that he used to capture the Pidgey from his belt and gazed at it. "There's a patient in need of my attention," he said with conviction.

* * *

Pidgey blearily opened her eyes. She honestly did not know what had occured. She was just busy cleaning her nest when she felt an excrutiating pain throughout her body. After that, everything went blank. As she was always the cautious type, she took a moment to scan her surroundings. The Dual-type's heart was filled with relief as she realized that she was still in Viridian Forest. The only thing that raised a question in her mind was the sight of an Umbreon shooting Shadow Balls towards a Pikachu, which was in a lake and trying desperately to avoid them. Pidgey chuckled at that sight before deciding to examine herself. Her body, especially her left wing, was expertly bandaged up. The bandages did not affect her movement at all as she strecthed out her wings. Whoever it was that treated her, she was eternally grateful.

"I see that you've awaken. That's good," a voice sounded from behind her.

Pidgey calmly turned around to see the person who had saved her. Said person pushed a bowl of water towards her and retracted his arm.

"You must be thirsty. Here's a bowl of water to help you quench your thirst," Seishiro offered.

Chirping happily, Pidgey dipped her beak into the water and drank her fill. After that, the Dual-type flew up and perched herself on Seishiro's shoulder. She noticed that his hair was rather unruly so she decided to preen it with her beak, eliciting a chuckle from Seishiro.

"I see that you put emphasis on cleanliness," Seishiro observed. He then asked the Dual-type, "Do you have a name?"

Pidgey thought for awhile. Finally, she shook her head.

Seishiro raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You do realize that you require a name if you're going to be travelling with us," he told Pidgey. "I can't call you Pidgey. It is as if you do not have your own identity."

Pidgey tilted her head in confusion but soon understood what Seishiro meant when she spotted a Pokeball beside the spot where she was resting.

_"Guess that means I'm captured," _she thought. She then shrugged. _"Well, it was bound to happen sooner than later anyway."_

Seishiro repeatedly tapped his chin, thinking of a suitable name for his new Pokemon. After some time, he snapped his fingers and asked her, "How about Solvo Divum? It carries the meaning 'free sky'."

Pidgey, now dubbed Solvo, chirped enthusiastically. She honestly did not care what her name was. As long as she had a name, she could care less what meaning the name held. Still, the fact that her name was associated with the sky, it just filled her with a sense of joy.

Seishiro nodded, stood up and walked away from Solvo. He then called out over his shoulder, "Want to meet your new teammates?"

Solvo immediately flew to Seishiro and perched on his shoulder. The pair then made their way towards Noctis and Levitas. Solvo's fate was now and shall be forever intertwined with the trio's.

* * *

Three days past by without a hitch. Levitas' three-day training regime had officially ended. After the first day had concluded, Levitas wanted to give up but the Electric-type was glad that he persevered. The fruits of his labour were evident as his stamina level had increased by 40% and he had learned and successfully mastered Thunderbolt. The Pikachu had also put on a bit of weight as his muscle mass had increased but this did not affect his speed or agility at all. Levitas was slightly disappointed that he was unable to master Iron Tail but he figured that he would overcome that hurdle once he had gained enough experience.

Since Solvo was still injured, Seishiro just gave the Pidgey some light training. It was not anything too drastic. Seishiro just worked on her speed and special defence. Though her progress was not as commendable as Levitas', the Dual-type did well for an injured Pokemon.

However, the combined intensity of Levitas' and Solvo's training was nothing when compared with the intensity of Noctis'. Since the Umbreon was already a balanced battler, Seishiro focused on improving all of his stats. That meant destroying boulders, two hundred sprints per day, dodging attacks from both Levitas and Solvo and many more. Despite all this, Noctis' battle performance only progressed a fraction but the Umbreon strangely did not feel disappointed at all.

_"Improving one's stats is simple but maintaining them is a journey through hell" _was the only thing Noctis said to his inexperienced teammates when they queried him.

Seishiro was proud of his Pokemon but he did not express it openly. He wanted to avoid planting the seeds of arrogance within Levitas and Solvo's hearts. In Noctis' case, both of them agreed that Seishiro should avoid praising Noctis for the Dark-type's teammates' sake. Noctis did not want any favouritism to exist within the team.

The black-haired boy sighed as he exited the forest. He was a step closer to earning his first Gym Badge in Pewter City. Though a Pikachu and a Pidgey were not exactly the best choices, he wanted them to gain experience as soon as possible. Unlike Noctis, Levitas and Solvo had yet to experience the true nature of battle so Seishiro would not mind if he lost on his first try. However, his pride greatly outweighed his sensible side as he _sweetly_ promised Levitas and Solvo increased training sessions should they lose. Levitas and Solvo visibly paled after learning of their _present_.

Having already ignited their resolve, Seishiro, with his three Pokemon in tow, continued onward towards Pewter City.

* * *

**(1) - Ability to move objects with the mind**

**(2) - This is the end**

**I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter.**

**My only regret is that I could've made the ending a little bit better but oh well.**

**For those of you that have read this story from the start, you could probably guess who that was in the starting of this chapter.**

**A special thanks to ShugoPoke13 for lending me your OC.**

**Leave a review 'kay. :)**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Since my trials are coming up, I am going to be taking a break from writing this fic.**

**I give you this chapter as my parting gift..., at least for a little while anyway.**

**Arigatou for understanding.**

* * *

As Seishiro and his three companions, who were in their Pokeballs save for Noctis, got closer and closer to their destination, Seishiro suddenly remembered a conversation he had with his Grandfather just a few days before the elder's death.

_A nine-year-old Seishiro sighed vehemently and glared at the target. He gripped his yumi(1) tightly but forced himself to relax and assess the situation. He had shot five arrows at the target but they did not even strike the outermost circle. Normally Seishiro was very good at archery. The fact that he had won ten archery competitions spoke for itself. However, for some inexplicable reason, he just could not concentrate. He was not even sick but his aim was bad, even worse than a beginner. Once again forcing himself to relax, he took a couple a deep breaths before picking out another arrow from the carrier that was strapped on his thigh. Placing the arrow into its usual postion, he drew and narrowed his eyes at the target._

_"Ah, there you are Seishiro," a voice sounded from behind the boy._

_Seishiro was startled but loosed the arrow anyway. Though his arm jerked a little, it made a big difference as the arrow shot past the target and embedded itself into a tree. Instead of throwing a tantrum due to having his concentration broken, Seishiro just shut his eyes and sighed exasperatedly before turning around to face the owner of the voice that interrupted him. It turned out to be his grandfather._

_"Yes, Grandfather?" he responded in a soft tone._

_Seishiro's grandfather smiled at Seishiro before pulling out a tray from behind his back and setting in down on the verandah. The tray supported a pot of tea and two porcelain cups. The elderly man then sat down cross-legged beside the tray, placed some tobacco leaves into the bowl of his kiseru and lighted it up. He enclosed the mouth piece with his lips, sucked and blew a few rings of smoke into the air._

_"Would you mind joining me for some tea?" the old man asked Seishiro tenderly._

_"Sure, Grandfather," Seishiro said earnestly. He set his yumi against the wall before joining his grandfather on the floor of the verandah, dangling his legs over the edge. Seishiro could have place the bow on the floor but that would be disrespectful in his opinion. He had spent hours making the bow and as this was the case, he treated the object with reverence as he himself would wish to be treated. _

_Seishiro carefully grasped the handle of the pot and lifted the pot before tilting it to pour some tea into his grandfather's cup. From the aroma, Seishiro guessed that they were having green tea. After filling up his grandfather's cup until the brim, Seishiro started pouring his own cup of tea. Satisfied with the amount of tea in his cup, Seishiro placed the pot back onto the tray before picking up his grandfather's cup and holding it out towards the elderly man, who accepted it with a nod of appreciation. Seishiro then picked up his cup, blew into the tea and slowly sipped the refreshing liquid._

_"Seishiro," the old man began as blew a few more rings of smoke into the air, "do you believe in perfection?"_

_"No," the sapphire-eyed boy answered instantly. "There is no such thing as perfection in this world. Perfection is only reserved to those who created this world. Whether it be humans or Pokemon, they are all flawed, including you and I."_

_The white-haired man nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "God the Almighty created an imperfect world. Though it can be seen as rather foolish, it is understandable as no creator would want to be rivaled by his creation in terms of purity and existence. He also gave human beings free will as a sign of benevolence. However, it is that sign of benevolence that shall lead this world to ruin."_

_"What do you mean, Grandfather?" Seishiro wondered aloud._

_Seishiro's Grandfather avoided answering that question directly as he said, "There shall be moments in your journey where you shall encounter individuals who dream of altering this world. Some think of doing this for their own selfish ambition while others claim that they are changing the world for the sake of humanity. Whether it is the former or the latter, these individuals are treading on dangerous paths." He coughed a little before continuing, "Therefore, it is up to you to prevent those selfish individuals from realizing their dreams."_

_"But Grandfather," Seishiro questioned, "if these individuals that you are mentioning are pursuing their dreams for the sake of making the world a better place, wouldn't it be selfish as well for me to bar their path?"_

_The elderly man smiled at his young charge. "Your questions are always well thought out and meaningful," the white-haired man remarked. "To tell you the truth, I cannot answer your question for you have to find the answer yourself." He then added, "Before that, you must ask yourself this question. Why did God grant us a flawed world instead of a world of perfection?"_

_Seishiro thought for awhile but ultimately shook his head. "I do not know," he admitted._

_"It is because He has faith in us, Seishiro," the green-eyed man answered sincerely. "Our role as the servants of God is to uphold His tenets on this world and make the world bloom prosperously. We were put on this planet to search for happiness in the world and afterlife. By fulfilling our duties, we shall attain true happiness when we return to our rightful home. If you allow those individuals to roam freely, then all His faith in us would have amounted to nothing. The world shall truly crumble to dust."_

_Seishiro said nothing as he sipped his warm tea, pondering about his grandfather's words. __A gentle breeze blew across the verandah, swaying his hair and caressing his soft, peach-coloured skin._

_"Ah, it would seem that the parishioner has arrived," Seishiro's grandfather announced suddenly. The old took another puff of smoke before standing up. He asked, "Would you mind cleaning this up when you're done? It would be rude if I were to allow him to wait any longer._

_Before Seishiro had the chance to object, his grandfather walked away._

_Sighing softly, Seishiro arranged the pot of tea and the two porcelain cups neatly at the center of the tray. Just as he was about to lift the tray up, he spotted his yumi from the corner of his eye. The sapphire-eyed boy suddenly remembered. All six of his loosed arrows did not hit the target. Abandoning his assigned duty for a moment, Seishiro made his way over the bow and picked it up before turning to the target which was about fifty yards away from him. He repeated his earlier routine as he withdrew a bow from the carrier and took aim at the target. With unfaltering resolve, Seishiro loosed the arrow. The arrow whished through the air and struck the target. Seishiro smiled. He had hit the bullseye. _

Seishiro lifted his eyelids, thereby ending his reminisence of the past. Though he had had many conversations with his grandfather, that one stuck out the most. It was through that conversation that Seishiro gained the resolve to tread along the path of Heaven and preserve the safety of the world. Though he could really care less about humanity's fate, he accepted the fact that they would require saving as well.

Seishiro and his four-legged companion suddenly stopped in their tracks. They have reached their destination. Unlike Viridian City, Pewter City was not a bustling tourist attraction. It lacked the basic necessities like famous restaurants, giant hotels and theme parks. Still, Seishiro preferred this kind of quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Most of the buildings were made out of polished rock and cement. Though the city was not that beautified with greenery, the streets were clean and overall neat. 'The Stone Grey City' was a perfect title for the populated area.

Seishiro stood at the entrance of the city, his mind preoccupied with something. Finally, he mused, "I have a distinct feeling that this day will be anything but routine."

Noctis did not comment on his Trainer's foreshadowing as he followed Seishiro into the city.

* * *

Seishiro was feeling rather parched from walking under the sizzling, hot Sun since morning so he decided to stop by the Pewter City branch of Bistro La Latte. Though the cafe was crowded at that time, he managed to find a table just outside the shop, which happened to be situated beside a newsstand. He vaguely remembered something about an encyclopedia that Professor Oak had mentioned. If memory served him right, Seishiro gave Professor Oak permission, sort of, to publish his paper in the encyclopedia. With that thought in mind, the sapphire-eyed boy browsed through the various reading material available on the newsstand until he found the object that he was looking for. It was the latest issue of Professor's Weekly.

Brimming with anticipation, well... not really, he sat down on his chair, sipped his latte and flipped through the pages of the encyclopedia. After a few seconds, he found the article about his paper. He read:

**A POSSIBLE RIVAL TO PROFESSOR ROWAN?**

**Recently, Professor Samuel Oak had submitted a standard Trainer's Qualification test paper to our editor in Viridian City. We were quite baffled as to why he would submit material written by a newbie Trainer but he said that we were not going to be disappointed. Skepticality clouded our minds but as he was a renowned Professor who had contributed much to the field of Pokemon and Human Relationships, we gave him the benefit of a doubt. Once our panel, which consisted of professors from various fields like Professor Elm, Birch, Ivy and Araragi, read the material, all skepticality were erased then and there. The paper written by the unknown Trainer, who wished to remain anonymous according to Professor Oak, touched on Pokemon Evolution, the field that Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh region specializes in. The absolutely detail of the written material, which puts emphasis on the emotions that evoke the evolution of Pokemon, left all four Professors astounded. They all claimed that they have never seen such an intricate and detailed paper. They would even go so far as to say that this unknown Trainer, who was revealed by Professor Oak to be a boy of only twelve years, has the capabilities of rivaling Professor Rowan should he pursue a career in Pokemon Research. Has Professor Rowan finally met his match? Are we witnessing the birth of new Pokemon Professor? You be the judge.**

Below the review was a little snippet of Seishiro's paper. Technically, the 'little' snippet was at least 750 words and four pages long but that was understandable given the fact that the black-haired boy wrote a 5000-word essay. Seishiro then read the copy his essay, looking for any signs that it had been tampered with in any way. He found none. The copy was authentic as Seishiro recognized both his cursive handwriting and signature.

A faint smile found its way across Seishiro's features. "I guess decency does exist in some humans," he remarked. He placed the encyclopedia aside and concentrated on finishing his latte. As he sipped the latte, he cracked open an eye to observe his three Pokemon. The trio were indulging themselves in their own beverages as well. Noctis had some lavender tea, Levitas opted for chocolate milk while Solvo settled for soy milk. When the four travellers had finished their drinks, Seishiro returned the trio of Pokemon into their respective Pokeballs. He stood up from his chair, intent on heading straight to the Gym for his first badge. However, he caught sight of something that perked his interest from the corner of his eye. It was a newspaper or more specifically, an advertisement on the front page of the newspaper. The newspaper ad had a picture of a glowing purple crystal that was held in a container that looked like the bottom half of a human skull. Seishiro read:

**EVIL LEGACY**

**A crystal holding the power of an ancient evil. Originating from the Reverse World, the artifact is rumoured to have the ability to awaken a new power within the soul of a specific human. **

**ON DISPLAY AT THE PEWTER MUSEUM OF SCIENCE**

Seishiro diverted his gaze from the newspaper ad to the glowing circle in the sky. "Judging from the position of the Sun, it is about 3 o'clock," Seishiro observed. He thought for a moment but ultimately shrugged. "I guess a few moments straying from the path of Heaven won't make that much of a difference."

With that conclusion, the Pewter City Gym no longer occupied Seishiro's mind. Instead, it was the Pewter Museum of Science and, in extension, the Evil Legacy.

* * *

The museum's exterior was not all that impressive in Seishiro's honest opinion. It was just a medium-sized museum which had a red roof, brown-painted walls and windows that were designed like lancet arches. Unlike other parts of the city, the otherwise bland museum was beautified with lots of greenery, ranging from orchid plants to oak trees. It was obviously a plan to draw in more visitors. Though Seishiro was less than impressed, he gave the city administration an 'A' for effort. With a casual flip of his unruly hair, Seishiro walked into the museum.

Though the interior of the museum was light years ahead of the exterior of the museum in terms of overall design and presentation, Seishiro was still unimpressed. It was not that he hated the interior design, it was just that he found paying 50 Pokedollars for entry into the museum utterly ridiculous. Still, it was just a small matter and Seishiro basically shrugged it off as usual. With his mind free from the shackles of annoyance, Seishiro observed his new surroundings. The first floor, from Seishiro's view, was primarily used to display the fossils of ancient Pokemon. The abundance of display cases containing the fossils of ancient Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Kabutops supported Seishiro's claim. It was also the floor where the Evil Legacy was currently being displayed. Since the display case was situated in the heart of the room, there was absolutely no excuse that Seishiro could not see it..., unless he were blind.

The black-haired boy did not know why, but his feet seemed to have moved on their own as he was now standing in front of the specific display case. It was just like what had occured at Viridian City where he was zapped by a statue of Mew. Immediately after the incident, Seishiro discovered that he had been bestowed with the power of telekinesis. The boy's sapphire eyes were focused intently on the crystal. Said crystal was giving off a dark and ominous glow, as if it were calling out to Seishiro. The light in Seishiro's eyes dulled as he unconciously moved his right hand closer to the display case, intent on becoming one with the crystal.

"What do you think you are doing?" a voice snapped, shaking Seishiro out of his reverie.

Seishiro calmly turned to the source of the voice, which turned out to be the museum night guard. Said night guard was wearing the typical and standard attire of his profession; a white shirt under a blue blazer, a black belt that had a flashlight clipped onto it, blue slacks and black leather shoes. He had a name tag which displayed his name, Larry Daley, to the world. He wore a stern and reprimanding expression on his face, but Seishiro could tell that from the man's green eyes that he was actually a soft-hearted and kind person.

"Well, were you thinking of stealing the Evil Legacy?" he inquired sternly.

Seishiro regarded the night guard for a moment before shifting his attention back to the glowing puple crystal. "You must have been mistaken," Seishiro defended himself. "This is a rare and very unique artifact. Any person would be enchanted by it at first sight. I was just drawn in by the glow it gave out, that's all."

"You bring forth a good argument," Larry remarked. "When I started working at this establishment, I too was attracted by the Evil Legacy. Since it originated from the Reverse World, I conclude that it must have certain... properties that most people would not understand."

The night guard's tone of speech raised some suspicion within Seishiro. The sapphire-eyed boy knew that most night guards do not act like the one in his sights. Seishiro thought that Larry, if that was really his real name, was too calm and collected for his own good. Most night guards enforce their power and will not accept any excuses from visitors and yet this one simply acknowledged Seishiro's argument.

"It seems that I have to be on my way," 'Larry' decided as he checked his wristwatch. "There is an important meeting that requires the attendance of all museum personnel." As he walked away from Seishiro, he announced over his shoulder, "Enjoy your visit at the Pewter Museum of Science."

Seishiro narrowed his eyes at the 'night guard's' disappearing form. His eyes then scanned the surroundings. The museum receptionist and guides were still performing their duties. If there really was a meeting that required every museum personnel to attend, then they would have abandoned their posts. Seishiro then glanced over his shoulder. The Evil Legacy had vanished into thin air. His suspicions about the 'night guard' were confirmed then and there.

"He was too calm to be just a petty thief," Seishiro thought deductively. "He must be working for a specific organization. Though Team Rocket has plagued this region for many years, I doubt that he is working for them. For someone of low rank, he was too... emotionless and precise in his actions. Hmph. It's seems that I cannot escape fate."

Seishiro abruptly followed after the suspicious individual, his grandfather's words echoing in his head.

* * *

'Larry' now stood in a clearing just on the outskirts of Pewter City. He scanned his surroundings to make sure that there were no witnesses. Feeling satisfied, he took out a black metal pauldron which had one glowing yellow stripe streaking across it and attached it onto his right shoulder. On cue, he was enclosed in a bright light. As the light dimmed, his attire completely changed. He was now donning on a long indigo coat with an insignia resembling the letter 'S' sewn into his left sleeve. He also wore a red vest underneath this coat, a navy-blue muscle shirt beneath that, a pair of blue pants and light brown boots. The black pauldron was visible on his right shoulder. After a few moments, the man took out the Evil Legacy and activated his communicator.

"This is 2nd Lieutenant Queroz," he announced over his communicator. "I have retrieved the artifact and have reached the rendezvous point."

_"Understood," _a voice acknowledged him. _"The extraction team shall be arriving shortly."_

Instead of responding, Queroz simply severed the connection.

"I see, so your real name is Queroz," a new voice suddenly announced. The voice then mocked, "Is it not considered a crime to lie to the younger generation, _Larry_?"

If Queroz was surprised, he did not show it. Instead, he calmly turned around to face the 'eavesdropper'. Said 'eavesdropper' was none other than Seishiro who had his hands stuffed into his pockets and a smug smile on his features.

"...I somehow expected that if someone could see through my disguise, it would be you," Queroz stated monotonously.

Seishiro gave Queroz a mock bow before chirping, "I live to see through disguises."

Queroz overlooked Seishiro's insult as he questioned the boy, "Would you be so kind as to divulge to me your... deduction on an individual such as myself?"

Seishiro casually flipped his hair before announcing, "It shall be my honour." He started with his deduction, "My doubts on your true persona surfaced the moment you opened your mouth. The way you talk resembled that of an intellectual individual instead of an everyday night guard. Also, your body language gave you away. It was precise and choreographed as if you been through the scenario... or at the very least scenarios resembling today's, many times. Night guards are generally spontaneous which you failed to portray. I further deduced that you are working for a specific organization but the chances of you working for Team Rocket are absolutely zero."

The man standing before Seishiro raised an eyebrow. "And what made you come to that conclusion?" he prodded the boy.

"Hierarchy exists in an organization for a reason," Seishiro responded. "That reason is to seperate the good from the bad. This is where your body language comes into play again. For someone of low rank, you handle yourself without any influence from emotion. You proceed with your given assignment diligently. Two conclusions branched from my observation. One, you are a black sheep among the Team Rocket grunts. Two, you are working under a seperate organization that most likely lives under the radar. I would say that the latter of the two conclusions is more plausible."

Queroz clapped his hands. "Well done," he applauded Seishiro. "You are absolutely a terrifying boy."

Seishiro dismissed that comment with an absent wave of his hand. "I'll treat that as a compliment," he said. "Now then, why is your organization interested in the Evil Legacy?"

The brown-haired man shook his head as he replied, "That is one piece of information I shall never reveal, especially to a foolish boy such as yourself. However, know this." He paused for awhile as he revealed the Evil Legacy to Seishiro. "The acquiral of the Evil Legacy shall bring us one step closer towards achieving our master's goal..., that much is certain."

"...I see," Seishiro muttered. "Then I guess it is my duty-" The black-haired boy promptly made a slashing motion with his right arm. If Seishiro was a normal human, then it would have been just a waste of energy. However, Seishiro was anything but normal. The slashing motion allowed Seishiro to exert enough telekinetic force to slice the container of the Evil Legacy in half. Queroz was startled as the Evil Legacy escaped his grasp. Before the purple crystal was about to shatter upon contact with the ground, Seishiro snapped the fingers on his left hand, causing the crystal to rocket into his awaiting palm. He then concluded his sentence as he finished, "-to prevent that from ever happening."

Queroz absently tapped his chin a couple of times. He observed, "It seems that there is more to you than meets the eye. However, we always study every variable that may influence our missions, including foolish and naive witnesses." He then snapped his fingers.

On cue, Seishiro was surrounded by twenty men who were garbed differently yet similar to Queroz. Like Queroz, they were wearing long trench coats, vests, muscles shirts and black pauldrons. The distinctive features about them were that their faces were covered with hoods, their pauldrons were blank and their attire was white in colour. The men in white promptly released their Pokemon. Their Pokemon consisted of Houndooms, Sneasels and Poochyenas. They then took out futuristic-looking submachine guns, loaded them and pointed them at Seishiro.

"How about a proposition?" Queroz offered with an amused tone. "Why don't you just relieve yourself of the Evil Legacy? Should you comply, we shall allow you to walk away."

Seishiro raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Aren't you afraid that I will let this piece of knowledge about an unidentified organization slip out of my tongue?" Seishiro asked.

"Why bother asking a question when you already know the answer?" Queroz countered back. "You are not the type of person who would work well with others. Instead, you prefer to act alone, on your own terms. However, your personality is not the main topic of discussion. I shall repeat my earlier proposition. Will you hand over the Evil Legacy without a hint of struggle or shall I have my men and their Pokemon tear you apart?"

Seishiro took a moment to scan his surroundings. He was completely surrounded and there was little chance of escape. Even if he and his Pokemon do put up a struggle, it shall all be in vain. The black-haired boy subsequently sighed. He really did not like to admit defeat but he decided that his life was more important that his pride.

"I know when I am defeated," Seishiro conceded as held out the Evil Legacy towards Queroz.

"You are wise," Queroz commented as he snapped his fingers. On cue, the men in white lowered their guns and their Pokemon adopted a more relaxed stance. He then made his way towards Seishiro and strecthed out his arm to take back the Evil Legacy. Before his fingers made contact with the purple crystal, it suddenly glowed jet-black, prompting Queroz to retreated a few steps backwards.

Seishiro too was startled by the sudden glow which the object in his hand gave out. He wanted to drop it but he could not. In fact, he found that his body was completely paralyzed. He could not even blink. Instead, the sapphire-eyed bot could only watch as the jet-black glow the crystal was emitting spread throughout his arm and subsequently, his entire body. An instant later, the Evil Legacy flashed out of existence and his body experienced an aura explosion due to the excessive intake of aura, courtesy of the Evil Legacy. The boost in power, and the obvious strain that followed after it, was too much for Seishiro's body to handle as the black-haired boy dropped to his knees and coughed out a substantial amount of blood, his hand clutching his heart in astonishment.

Queroz regarded the turn of events with a glaze look in his eye. "Hmmm..., our mission has taken an unexpected turn," he soliloquized. He then took out his communicator and promptly activated and explained the situation to his superior.

_"...Seize the boy," _Queroz's superior ordered over the communicator._ "We shall discuss his fate once we bring word of this incident to our master." _

"Understood" was Queroz's immediate reply. He then announced to his brethren, "Commander Credo has ordered us to 'apprehend' the boy. Seize him."

A couple of grunts complied with Queroz's order and jogged towards Seishiro with their Pokemon in tow. Just as they were about to capture him, their lives came to an abrupt end as they were suddenly slashed by an unseen assailant and blood erupted from the deep incised wounds inflicted upon them.

For once, Queroz's calm composure was compromised. "W-What is the meaning... of this?" he stammered. "Men, find this unknown assailant immediately!"

Unforunately, Queroz's remaining henchmen were unable to carry out their given order as they too were slashed and cut down mercilessly by the invisible enemy. Their Pokemon were not spared as the Dark-types were butchered as well. Some lost legs, others lost arms, eyes were gouged out and heads were sliced clean off. It was truly a quintessential massacre.

Though Seishiro was in extreme pain and coughing out blood, he was still concious enough to see the ongoing massacre. With great effort, he strained his eyes and spotted the assailant. Said assailant was not truly invisible, it was just moving at a blinding pace that could not be tracked by the naked eye. His 'saviour' looked like a bipedal fox-like Pokémon, and was mainly grayish-brown in colouration with red and black accents. It had a pointed snout and ears, the insides of which were red in colouration. The black fox also had some red rimming its eyes and mouth and a large, voluminous mane, primarily red in colouration but with black tips. The mane somewhat resembled a ponytail, as a silverish bangle down its length separated a mass of the mane from the lower portion. It had a black ruff on its upper body, pointed at the shoulders from which its arms extend. Its upper arms were thin, whereas its lower arms, while still slim, were bulkier. The arms had spiky extensions of fur at the shoulders and its claws, as well as the claws on its feet, were red in colouration. It could have just been the pain but Seishiro could have sworn that the bipedal fox, for a moment, glanced at him with its silver eyes and smirked deviously before going about its 'business'.

A few moments later, Queroz was the last man standing. Seishiro was technically crouching so he was not included in the list. Before Queroz got a chance to blink or even utter a single syllable, Seishiro's 'saviour' appeared in front of the man with a static buzz and plunged its claws deep into his heart. Queroz then felt himself being lifted up so he could stare into the creature's silver eyes. The man rarely displayed weakness but he could care less about his pride at that moment.

"P-Please...h-have...m-m-mercy," he begged his killer.

Said killer's response was a devious grin. It obviously enjoyed seeing its victims writhe in pain and beg for mercy. Unfortunately for Queroz, the fox just turned a blind eye and crushed his heart. The light in the man's eyes dimmed as blood flowed like a river from his mouth onto the black fox's face. Said fox allowed the blood to rinse the fur on its face before it opened its maw and indulged in the coppery taste of Queroz's blood. When the blood flow stopped, the vampire-like fox licked its lips clean and threw Queroz's corpse away like a rag doll. With Queroz dead, it then turned its attention to Seishiro, who grew wide-eyed when the fox's eyes made contact with his. Said fox promptly vanished and reappeared in front of Seishiro. It then crouched down until it was about Seishiro's height.

Seishiro stared through pained eyes at the creature before him which in turn stared at the weak human before it. The black-haired boy could tell that the fox was contemplating on whether or not to kill. He did not want to risk his Pokemon's lives by sending them out to fight this sadistic monster which Seishiro had just realized was a Zoroark.

The silence continued for awhile but in the end, the Zoroark made the first move. It slowly lifted a bloodied claw and gently traced Seishiro's scar on his right eye, obviously intrigued by it. The Illusory Fox Pokemon then noticed the blood around Seishiro's mouth. The boy froze when he realized what the Zoroark's eyes were trained on but he knew that he was helpless. The Zoroark slowly inched closer to Seishiro face and slightly opened its maw. Its tongue then darted out and licked the blood around Seishiro's mouth clean. Seishiro was again perplexed at the Zoroark's strange behaviour but was secretly thankful that the flesh on his face was still intact. Before Seishiro could ponder more about the Zoroark before him, the Dark-type gave a solid chop on his neck and severed his waning conciousness with the world temporarily.

The Zoroark promptly stood up and scanned its surroundings. When it was sure that it was alone with Seishiro, it hefted the boy onto its shoulder and vanished in a purple flash.

* * *

(1) - A Japanese bow.

**I actually wanted to introduced Zoroark's Trainer but my mind is simply spent.**

**The next chapter will be longer and filled with battles. (Most likely two)**

**I have decided on Noctis' and Solvo's rivals but I am rather indecisive on Levitas' rival.**

**Please give me some suggestions.**

**Yes, the main rival is set to appear in the next chapter.**

**Read and review. :)**

**Arigatou and sayonara.**


	8. Chapter 7

**...Guess I've reached lucky number 7 in terms of the number of chapters I've written.**

**I'm rather amazed at myself.**

**This chapter will display my battle-writing skills.**

**You, the reader, shall be the judge.**

**Without further ado, I present to you all, Chapter 7.**

**

* * *

**

Seishiro had been unconscious for an indefinite amount of time. That much he was certain. Other than that lone thought, his mind was completely blank. He could not remember the series of events that led him into this state of unconsciousness. Though the black-haired boy tried to reminisce those events, he could only recall a blurry image of a black fox-like Pokemon.

_"Did it save me...or did it cause me to surrender to the darkness of sleep?"_ Seishiro thought tiredly.

Deciding that moping about that single question was not the best option available, the boy lifted his eyelids, expecting to be embraced by the gift of vision. Sadly, he found that he was completely enshrouded in darkness. There was not a single thing visible. Whether it was the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees or even the solid ground, all of them were absent from his line of sight. Panic filled Seishiro's heart for a moment but that negative emotion was eventually erased. The sapphire-eyed boy knew that panicking would not solve his current predicament. Taking a deep breath, Seishiro slowly stood up and dusted himself before double-checking his surroundings.

Darkness still occupied his line of sight. He sighed. He was hoping that his eyes were deceiving him but that hope was misplaced. His eyes had always shown nothing but the truth. He had forgotten that simple fact in his brief moment of panic. Still, Seishiro was slightly unnerved with being surrounded by nothing except darkness. Darkness was a double-edged sword after all. It can be a great ally but a dangerous friend as well.

On cue, a speck of light entered Seishiro's field of vision as if it detected his plight. The black-haired boy squinted his eyes at the source of light. It was the Evil Legacy. Suspicion clouded Seishiro's thoughts upon his discovery. It was all coming back to him now. He remembered that it was the purple crystal that caused him to experience a high degree of pain which contributed to him entering the realm of unconsciousness. He abruptly turned around and started to distance himself from the crystal. However, he immediately halted in his movements. The odd sensation which he had experienced at the museum had made an encore appearance within his heart. Seishiro once again felt the crystal calling to him but not as forceful or ominous like the previous time. Reluctantly, the sapphire-eyed boy raised his hand towards the crystal, tempting it towards him. Said crystal obliged by floating slowly towards the boy and finally fitting into the palm of his hand.

Exactly like the first time, dark energy flowed from the crystal into Seishiro until it flashed out of existence. Foreign from the first experience, Seishiro did not experience any pain. Instead, he felt somewhat at peace with himself. It was like a separate part of him had just come home. His moment of peace was short-lived when the dark energy started to materialize into a unique object on his back. The dark light soon faded, allowing Seishiro a view of the object when he glanced over his shoulder. There was only one word that can be used to describe the object on his back; hellish. The middle part of the object was designed to resemble Giratina's head in Origin Forme. Two black 'arms', that were shaped like a Scyther's except thinner, spawned from the 'head', one on each side. Upon closer inspection, Seishiro noticed that the 'arms' were actually carrying a substantial amount of dangerous-looking swords that resembled long and thin spikes. The only other thing that Seishiro noted was that the hellish-looking object felt like a backpack.

The black-haired boy was once again left perplexed at his sudden acquisition of the backpack-like apparatus. On cue, an ominous voice echoed throughout the darkness.

_"Hehehe, it seems that you have taken interest in my gift, boy," _the voice chuckled mockingly. _"Under normal circumstances, I could really care less about the Chosen Ones. They make me sick. Always championing the Light and ostracizing the Darkness. I would have killed them if it weren't for my... **'Father'. **But you, boy, are a breath of fresh air to me. You, unlike the rest of those useless Chosen Ones, embrace the Darkness. Though I would much prefer someone who also forsakes the Light, I suppose you would do just fine."_

If Seishiro was unnerved by the booming voice, he did not show it. Instead, he curtly suggested to the voice, "Instead of heaping praise upon me for accepting the Darkness, would you just explain to me the functions of this apparatus, O Great Guardian of the Reverse World?"

_"My, my, such a disrespectful boy," _the voice observed threateningly._ "Heh, Ho-Oh has indeed chosen well. Regarding the object on your back, I manufactured it using my own dark aura. I christened it **'Lucifer'. **Seeing as you are still standing, I suppose it has taken a liking to you. If not, then it would've shattered your soul. _As if to support its creator's claim, **Lucifer** flashed with a purple glow. The voice continued, _"This weapon is capable of spawning a countless number of spectral swords to hover around it. These swords can be rearranged, thrown or wielded, and will explode either after a short duration or at your command. Also, so long as you do not forsake **Lucifer**, it shall grant you the ability to manipulate the shadows in your surroundings to your advantage even if you are not using the weapon."_

It took awhile for the information to set in, but Seishiro understood it eventually. He then curiously withdrew a sword from **Lucifer's **right arm and thoroughly inspected it. The pommel and guard were absent from the sword's hilt meaning that the he was expected to be, at the very least, a competent swordsman to avoid injuring himself. Besides that, both the grip and blade were black in colour. Seishiro was sort of confused on how he was going to make the sword hover and he was very sure that Giratina would remain tight-lipped until he could solve this problem on his own. Sensing as Giratina would not be leaving, Seishiro sat down and thought.

It took some time but Seishiro finally came up with a solution. Nodding to himself, Seishiro stood up and withdrew two swords from his hellish 'backpack'. He then twirled them with his index fingers before pulling his fingers back, causing the swords to spin into the air. Next, the boy snapped his fingers. Seishiro's plan worked as the swords suddenly stopped spinning and froze. Purple auras then enclosed both of the swords and they dropped slightly to hover above and flank Seishiro at the same time.

Giratina's voice once again chuckled ominously._"That's a unique way of handling that weapon. Seeing as I am not a patient soul, let's just skip all the basics and head straight for the advanced trials."_

The darkness surrounding Seishiro gradually lifted. It was like droplets of colour were drizzling onto a blank canvas. Before long, the darkness that enshrouded Seishiro was gone and replaced by a scenery of green, blue, white and brown. Seishiro was back in the clearing from before and again he was surrounded by the white-garbed men. This time however, their Pokemon were absent and they had short blades attached on their wrists. Seishiro sighed. He knew what he had to do to pass this trial.

The sapphire-eyed boy wordlessly withdrew a sword and analyzed his targets. Since he was not that experienced in close-range combat, he visualized the men in white as archery targets with multiple bulls-eyes. Seishiro's targets made the first move just as he had expected. A target approached him mindlessly and swung the blade directly at Seishiro's head. The boy swiftly dodged the attack and impaled his sword into the target's heart. Without wasting a second, Seishiro darted forward, intent on finishing the fake skirmish on his own terms. Seishiro's foes did their best to draw blood from the boy. Some stabbed at his abdomen while others focused on slashing his legs. Unfortunately for them, Seishiro anticipated each of their attacks as he blocked and parried them with his spectral swords before stabbing said swords into their vital organs.

Only five targets remained. These targets seem to possess some strategy as they came at Seishiro from different directions. Thinking of ending this trial with a bang, Seishiro leaped into the air and withdrew five spectral swords. The black-haired boy channeled some of his dark aura into the swords, giving them a purple glow. He then tossed them into the air before executing a roundhouse kick, hitting the swords and sending one sword flying at each of the remaining targets. Said targets obviously were not expecting Seishiro to execute such a complicated manoeuvre and were impaled onto the trees. The black-haired boy was not done yet. As he landed on the ground, he straighten himself before snapping his fingers. On cue, the swords that he had impaled into the men in white detonated, completely obliterating every cell in their bodies.

_"...I guess that was an adequate performance,"_ Giratina's voice commented half-heartedly. _"I shall leave **Lucifer** in your capable hands but know this, you have only scratched the surface of what that weapon is truly capable of. Farewell."_

With Giratina's voice gradually fading, Seishiro dismissed** Lucifer** and closed his eyes in relief.

* * *

Once Seishiro opened his eyes again, he could tell that he had regained consciousness. Though the scenery that greeted his sights was the same, it felt alive as wind caressed his face and chirps of Pidgey stimulated his sense of hearing. The extras of the scenery included a bonfire, a tent and a reddening sky. He searched through his memories and concluded that the Zoroark must have brought him to this spot. Judging from the state of the campsite, Seishiro also came to the conclusion that the Illusory Fox Pokemon most likely belonged to a Trainer. Speaking of the Zoroark, it was nowhere in sight, much to Seishiro's relief. Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived as he felt something brush again his back.

Steeling himself, Seishiro closed his eyes and slowly turned around. When he lifted eyelids, the first thing greeted his sights were silver eyes. Said eyes belonged to the Zoroark which happened to be too close for Seishiro's comfort. Sapphire orbs stared into silver ones while silver orbs stared into sapphire ones. Silence befell the entire campsite. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end as the Zoroark's tongue darted out and licked Seishiro's face from chin to forehead. The owner of the sapphire orbs obviously was not expecting this rather... 'affectionate' gesture from such a bloodthirsty Pokemon as he fell flat on his bottom and wiped away the saliva on his face with great disgust.

"Hmph, I guess Xander really does have a soft spot for you, kid," a voice drawled.

Still flat on his bottom, Seishiro twisted the upper section of his body to the source of the voice. The 'source' turned out to be a man, given his physique, and he was garbed in black. Other than this two facts, Seishiro could not get a clear description of the man since he was facing away from him and staring into the bonfire.

Seishiro kind of knew that the man was the Zoroark's Trainer given the fact that he had referred to the Zoroark by a name. Instead, Seishiro asked with a respectful tone, "How long have I been unconscious, sir?"

The stranger, without glancing back at Seishiro, answered, "A week."

"A-A week?" Seishiro repeated the stranger's answer in disbelief.

"When Xander brought you here," the black-garbed man started with his elaboration, "you were suffering from a minor case of internal bleeding. I pretty much had to cut you open to stop the bleeding and stitch you back up."

Seishiro promptly examined his body. Sure enough, most of his chest were covered up with bandages. Strangely, the boy found himself admiring the man's handiwork. The bandages were expertly wrapped around his body. He could tell as his breathing and body movements were not affected in any way. Seishiro would even go so far as to think that the man's bandaging skill was better than his. He became slightly confused as he could not understand the reason on why he was heaping praise upon this stranger. Though the stranger did indeed save him, a simple 'thank you' would have suffice in Seishiro's opinion. Yet, the black-haired boy felt oddly comfortable around this man.

"If you are worried about the scars, then you shouldn't," the man stated in a bored tone. "Your bandages can be removed within an hour and I guarantee you that you shall find no scars marring your soft and smooth body."

A faint blush found its way across Seishiro's cheeks when the man mentioned that his body was soft and smooth. His hand automatically moved to check whether his Pokemon were still in their Pokeballs. When his hand felt around the belts encircling his waist, he discovered that they were not there. A sense of panic engulfed Seishiro.

"There is little cause for worry. Your Pokemon are safe," the man assured Seishiro. He then jerked his head a little to the left and said, "They're over there."

Seishiro gaze followed the direction in which the man jerked his head and lo and behold, his Pokemon came into his sights. Noctis, Levitas and Solvo were under a tree, apparently sleeping. However, Seishiro noticed through his keen observation skills that their bodies were slightly marred with bruises. He abruptly turned his attention to the man in black and was about to question him about the condition of his Pokemon until the man cut him off.

"I did not beat or abuse them in any way," he denied as if he knew that Seishiro was going to ask that question. "While you were out of commission, I took the liberty of supervising their training to keep them in shape. I've gotta admit, you have an adequate team. They performed every exercise I ordered them to without question. I was kind of surprised that your Umbreon was able to keep up with some members of my team, albeit for a short while, but I guess that's understandable given the fact that he is your team's pillar of support."

Seishiro smiled faintly. He was glad that the man before him was willing to train his Pokemon. From what Seishiro heard, the man said that Noctis was the only one to be able to keep up with _some _members of his team for a short time. Seishiro knew that Noctis always gave it his all during training but if the man's words were truthful, then the man was more than likely a supremely powerful Trainer.

"Um...," Seishiro began, indecisive about whether to thank the man or ask him about his Trainer status, "thank you for training my Pokemon. I am very grateful. He then shyly asked, "May... I know who it is that I am speaking to?"

The man stayed silent, probably contemplating about whether or not to reveal his name to Seishiro. After some time, he turned around to face Seishiro.

The sapphire-eyed boy finally got a clear view of the man who saved his life. He had jet-black hair that was both spiky and messy but somewhat cool, at least in Seishiro's opinion. He appeared to be suffering from heterochromia as his left iris was moss green in colour and his right was sapphire. The man's attire was not black but midnight-blue. His clothing consisted of an unzipped high collar shirt with no sleeves, standard slacks and boots with a cloth covering his left arm and leg. Besides that, he donned on a shiny silver shoulder guard on his right shoulder and his chest was covered by two straps, held in place by a badge that represented Zoroark.

The man's mismatched eyes gazed at Seishiro with such intensity that the boy actually cringed in slight fear.

"Subaru... Subaru Kuranosuke."

* * *

Subaru's words were indeed truthful as Seishiro found that no scars marred his body upon removing the bandages. Seishiro was again thankful to Subaru but the boy felt so embarrassed when Subaru was the one who removed them. Seishiro still could not fathom the reason why he felt so... shy and giddy around the man who actually was younger than Seishiro had earlier perceived. Subaru told Seishiro that he was only seventeen-years-old while Seishiro thought that the spiky-haired teen was about thirty. Seishiro remained tight-lipped for the next two hours which he spent training his Pokemon while acquainting with Subaru's which consisted of Xander, a Salamence, a shiny Charizard, a Floatzel, an Ivysaur and a Staraptor. The seventeen-year-old's Pokemon were initially wary of Seishiro but they warmed up to him, sort of. Xander and the Salamence, which Seishiro found out was named 'Fuji', even gave Seishiro some advice on how to better train his trio of Pokemon.

It was about 5 o'clock in the evening when both Seishiro and Subaru were standing in front of the entrance of Pewter City. Seishiro turned around to face the taller and older teen and bowed slightly. "I am very grateful for all that you have done for us," he thanked Subaru. "I sincerely hope that our paths may cross again."

Subaru chuckled as he ruffled Seishiro hair. "You're a very interesting kid, Seishiro," Subaru commented. "Even my Pokemon enjoy your presence. I am sure that if fate allows it, then we shall meet again. Though, you should really try to be more spontaneous. Even if you are shouldered with a heavy burden, it is okay to unwind from time to time. Don't keep your emotions all bottled up. Instead, let them run free."

Seishiro heard Subaru's advice and transferred it deep within his mind. The sapphire-eyed boy promised himself to at least try to follow Subaru's advice but his mind was focused on a more important matter. Seishiro moved his head against Subaru's palm, wanting more of the enigma's touch. Again, Seishiro felt stumped. He usually did not act like this, especially to a stranger, but his heart was telling him that he should. He never felt this sense of 'attachment' to anyone since his grandfather... passed away. That sudden thought sent a tear trickling down his cheek.

Subaru noticed the tear and heard the sniffs coming from Seishiro. With a sigh, Subaru wiped away the tear and gently caressed Seishiro's hair, offering soothing words of comfort. Sooner than later, Seishiro quieten down and looked up at Subaru through puffy eyes. Subaru smiled faintly at him as he placed a clothed and oval-shaped object onto Seishiro's arms.

"Think of it as a good luck charm," Subaru warmly suggested.

Composing himself, Seishiro slowly removed the cloth to reveal the object hidden beneath it. It was a Pokemon Egg. However, it was unlike any Egg Seishiro had seen. The Egg was black and electric blue in colour, comparable to the appearance of a flame with a high oxygen supply which leads to a more complete combustion process, with white jagged stripes forming the latitudes of the Egg. Seishiro looked up to thank Subaru but the seventeen-year-old enigma had mysteriously vanished.

Seishiro sighed sadly. The sapphire-eyed boy truly felt as if he was conversing with his grandfather but he knew that Subaru could never replace the departed old man. Still, he wanted to enjoy that feeling of... attachment again and he knew deep within his heart that he will meet Subaru again. Draping the cloth back over the Egg, he wrapped his arms around it and walked back into Pewter City.

* * *

Far away from Seishiro's location, in a secret base, two people were watching a large holographic image of Seishiro entering Pewter City. One was seating behind a wide table while the other was standing right behind the former.

"Master, shall we intercept the boy?" the figure that was standing asked.

"...No," the figure's master decided. "It is still too early for us to deem him a threat to our goals. For now though, keep a close eye on him."

The figure bowed to his master and said, "Understood." He then exited the room, leaving his master alone.

The man's grey eyes gazed intently at Seishiro's holographic image. "Will you be the one... that shall help me realize my dream?" he wondered.

* * *

Seishiro now stood in front of the Pewter City Gym. It was a 100% stone building set apart from the rest of the city. The stones were not polished but instead were cracked and rough, presumably to give the Gym a rugged appearance. Since Seishiro felt that his battle with the Gym Leader was very delayed so he did not bother to comment on the Gym's, in his opinion, distasteful appearance. Just as he was about to push the door leading into the Gym, it opened by itself and a person walked out.

The black-haired boy could tell that the person standing before him was not the Gym Leader simply because he did not look the part, at least the part of the Pewter City Gym Leader. The individual had platinum-coloured eyes and silver hair which parted slightly on the left side of his head with the bangs spiked upwards. He wore a short-sleeved, ghost white jacket with a silver stripe going along his shoulders to the ends of his sleeves. The jacket's collar was rather high and was ash grey, as were the ends of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the jacket. There was a black kanji symbol, which carried the meaning 'salvation in light', prominently displayed on the left breast of his jacket. He also appeared to be donning a black undershirt, as well as black pants and white sneakers with what appeared to be a blackish trim on the bottom.

"I am sorry," the individual suddenly apologized to Seishiro. "The Gym Leader said that I would be his last challenger for the day so I am afraid that you would have to stop by tomorrow."

Seishiro just sighed exasperatedly at being delayed once again and walked away from the silver-haired boy without uttering a simple 'thank you' for giving him that notification.

"Why don't you just have a battle with me?" the platinum-eyed boy called out to Seishiro.

Seishiro stopped in his tracks. "Why?"

"I would just like to gauge the strength of my opponent whom I'm sure to face in the Kanto League," the stranger answered.

Glancing over his shoulder with a bored air, Seishiro stated, "You make it seem that the both of us are sure to obtain the seven badges necessary for qualifying for the Kanto League."

"Of course," the no-name boy confirmed confidently. "A Trainer must have the necessary confidence together with strong Pokemon in order to succeed in his or her career."

"...Not interested," Seishiro deadpanned as he started to once again distance himself from the silver-haired boy.

"That's a let down," the platinum-eyed boy drawled. "I always had the impression that beings of darkness always revel in the heat of battle."

Seishiro halted in his movements. He then slowly turned around to face the silver-haired boy and gazed at him with such intensity that his eyes flashed crimson red.

"I am sure that you can see it as well right," the boy asked as the colour of his irises turned turquoise. "I can see your aura as you can see mine."

The stranger was indeed right as Seishiro saw the figure before him encompassed in a pure white aura. Inversely, through the stranger's eyes, he saw that Seishiro was emitting an ominous black aura.

"My name is Terence Horatio," the turquoise-eyed boy introduced himself. "You?"

"...Seishiro Syuusuke."

Terence nodded at Seishiro. "Let us regard this meeting between us as pure coincidence," he suggested.

Seishiro offered Terence one of his trademark smirks. "My Grandfather said this, 'There is no such thing as coincidence, only fate'."

Terence in turn smirked at Seishiro. "So very true," he agreed.

Both boys immediately hovered their hands over their Pokeballs, eager to best the other in battle.

* * *

High above Spear Pillar, in the Hall of Origins, a certain Alpha Pokemon opened his eyes in realization.

_"Hmmm..., their fateful encounter happened sooner than I had expected,"_ Arceus mused. _"Nevertheless, it shall be interesting to see which element triumphs over the other."_

Arceus then closed his eyes, contemplating about a certain mismatched-eyed individual.

* * *

_"Revelar su soberano(1), _Cielo!" Terence exclaimed.

_"Fio unus per vestri mos(2_), Solvo," Seishiro announced at the same time.

Both boys lobbed their Pokeballs into the air after giving out their respective battle cries. The dual-coloured capsules then burst open to reveal two Normal/Flying-type Pokemon. One of them was a Pidgey while the other one was, like Solvo, a bird Pokemon but of a different species. It had a grey-coloured body while the lower half of its wings as well as its head were black. It had black eyes with white pupils and a thin orange beak with the tip of it painted black. If memory served Seishiro correct, it was a Pokemon native to the Sinnoh region.

**"Starly, the Starling Pokemon," **Dexter's voice beeped out. **"Because they are weak individually, they form groups. However, they bicker if the group grows too big."**

That information was practically useless in Seishiro's opinion. Dexter must have sensed its owner's irritation as it deftly scanned the Starly and displayed the Dual-type's stats on its screen.

Seishiro wordlessly read the Starly's stats as he observed, "A High-level Gym Leader Pokemon, huh?" He then pocketed his Pokedex before muttering, "He is on a higher level when compared with Solvo's. Hmm...I guess we could make it work. Beggars can't be choosers after all."

"Cielo, use Quick Attack," Terence ordered calmly.

The Starly practically rocketed towards Solvo at a blinding speed with a white streak trailing behind it upon hearing his Trainer's command.

"Dodge it and use Gust," Seishiro commanded Solvo.

The Tiny Bird Pokemon flew to the side, narrowly avoiding the 'bullet' which was Cielo. Solvo then stretched out her wings and began flapping them at a high velocity. As a result, a miniature tornado was released towards her opponent, Cielo.

Terence did not panic as he simply said, "Tailwind."

Like Solvo, Cielo stretched his grey-coloured wings and began flapping them vigorously. However, Cielo did not launch the miniature tornado, which formed due to his earlier actions, at Solvo. Instead, the Starly cocooned himself within it and thereby shielding him from Solvo's miniature tornado when it struck his. When the tornadoes subsided, Cielo was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the Starling Pokemon reappeared behind Solvo with a _swish_ sound. On a side note, its right wing was glowing white.

Seishiro's eyes widened a small fraction as he called out, "Behind you, Solvo. On your right!"

Seishiro's warning came a tad too late as Solvo was struck on the right side of her neck with a Wing Attack. The force of the attack sent the Pidgey hurtling towards the ground. Thankfully, her training with Subaru did wonders for her reaction time as she spread her wings and glided safely onto the ground before taking to the skies once again.

The black-haired Trainer let out a sigh of relief before he queried Terence, "That move your Starly just pulled off, it was a variant of a Flash Step, wasn't it?"

Terence simply nodded. He then added, "I have given it the term... _**Viento **_(3)."

"Mmm... I see," Seishiro mumbled. "Then use Quick Attack, Solvo."

Seishiro's Pidgey gave out a chirp as she sped towards Cielo with a white streak trailing behind her. As she neared to ram into Cielo, the Starly disappeared with a barely audible _swish_. This time however, Seishiro was expecting that move.

"Solvo, scan the perimeter for your target," Seishiro ordered.

The Tiny Bird Pokemon's black pupils contracted as everything around her slowed down. Her green eyes darted left and right, scanning the sky for Cielo. Finally, she caught sight of a black blur about forty degrees to her left. Solvo gave Seishiro a flap of her wings to signal to the black-haired boy that she had found her target.

Seishiro nodded. "Assimilate Aerial Ace into your Quick Attack and strike your target head-on," he commanded.

Solvo immediately flew higher into the sky before rocketing towards Cielo's assumed position with her wings tucked and her body surrounded by white streaks. As she did not cancel her Quick Attack, the Aerial Ace was faster than a normal one. Her eyes did not fail her as Cielo reappeared right where she wanted him to. Since the Starling Pokemon was not expecting his opponent to be able to read his movements, the Starly was rammed full force by Solvo, enough to send him spiraling towards the ground.

"Recover and counter with Swift," Terence called out to Cielo.

Cielo managed to stop his descent before he crossed his wings across his chest and swung them outwards. On cue, a substantial amount of yellow stars were released, following the arc of his prior wing swings. The yellow stars were akin to heat seeking missiles as they locked onto their target, which in this scenario was Solvo, and struck her mercilessly. When the stream of stars finally ended, Solvo looked a little worse for wear with multiple bruises marring her body but still managed to maintain her altitude. Cielo too was not spared any injury as he rubbed his abdomen with a pained look etched across his face. Frankly, the Starly would not be surprised if he woke up the next day with a hernia.

"Let us not prolong this battle any further," Seishiro suggested. "Both of them look ready to faint."

Terence wordlessly nodded. "Cielo, end it with Twister!" he exclaimed.

"Solvo, combat your opponent with a Twister of your own," Seishiro commanded in sync with Terence.

Both combatants fully spread their wings and began flapping them at a speed rivaling that of a Yanmega's. Blades of grass were swaying back and forth and pebbles were launched into the air as the atmosphere suddenly became extremely windy. The blades of wind that both Solvo and Cielo were generating finally shaped into tornadoes and were released towards the other dual Normal/Flying-type Pokemon. The two powerful twisters struck each other, causing an explosion that engulfed both Cielo and Solvo. Moments past and the black smoke still lingered in the air. Finally, both Cielo and Solvo reappeared from the cloud of smoke. However, the dual Normal/Flying-types were far from okay as they were plumeting towards the ground. Luckily, Cielo managed to stop his rapid descent and compose himself. The Starling Pokemon noticed that his opponent was still at gravity's mercy and immediately darted towards her. Just before Solvo's prone form could come into contact with the solid ground, Cielo caught her body with his feet and gently set her down onto the ground before flying back to his Trainer.

"It would seem that round one goes to us," Terence observed.

Seishiro did not show any response to Terence's obvious remark as the black-haired boy wordlessly returned Solvo into her Pokeball.

Terence mirrored Seishiro's action and returned Cielo into his Pokeball as well.

"Levitas, let's go," Seishiro called, sending out his Pikachu.

"Trueno, I require your assistance," Terence stated calmly.

The Pokemon that Terence released resembled a small and young lion. Its iris and pupil were both yellow in colour and it had a blck mane around its face. It also had blue and black fur besides two yellow rings around each of its front legs.

**"Luxio, the Spark Pokemon,"** Dexter analyzed. **"By touching friends with its front paws, Luxio is able to communicate with the sparks it emits."**

Seishiro tapped his chin several times, thinking of a strategy to outwit another Pokemon that was on a higher level compared to his. Terence was benign enough to let Seishiro be occupied with his thoughts. Since he called the first attack during the last battle, Terence felt that it was only natural to let Seishiro have the first call in this next one.

While both the Trainers were silent, their Pokemon were not.

_"Hiya, name's Levitas," _the Pikachu introduced himself. _"Nice to met'cha, Trueno."_

_"My, oh my, do we have a hyper one here ladies and gentleman," _Trueno announced mockingly.

Levitas' left eye twitch at that mocking remark. He snapped_,_ _"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" _

The Spark Pokemon gave out a full-hearted laugh, secretly delighted that he had got the reaction he had wanted from his currently ticked off opponent. _"Slow down, slow down, kid. I'm just messing with ya. Can't you take a joke?_

Levitas crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. The Pikachu huffed_, "Well, your sense of humour is not really that good."_

_"Everybody's a critic these days," _Trueno mumbled. _"You gotta loosen up, kid. You're still young. You're not ready for the serious stuff yet. Just spend the next five years of your life just going with the flow. Do you get what I'm saying here?"_

_"I'd rather have Noctis slash me again than listen to a Luxio with a weird sense of humour_," Levitas said dryly. The Pikachu then said with a smile_, "However, I shouldn't be too distrustful of such a weirdo like you so I guess I can try laughing a bit more."_

The Spark Pokemon grinned at Levitas. _"That's the spirit, kid," _he remarked joyfully. He lifted his right forepaw and placed it on his chest before he introduced himself_, "Name's Trueno. You got it memorized?"_

Levitas tilted his head in confusion before the Electric-type mouthed_, "Uhh..., I guess."_

_"Very, very good," _Trueno mused. _"Now that we've acquainted with one another-" _The Spark Pokemon abruptly tensed his muscles, causing blue sparks to shoot out and surround his body. The Luxio smirked at Levitas as he finished_, "-let's **shock** till we drop."_

Levitas stared at Trueno through half-lidded eyes. _"You really need to work on your puns because that was just horrible," _he commented exasperatedly as he shifted into his battle stance.

"Levitas, start out with Thunderbolt," Seishiro commanded.

Levitas inhaled slowly as his body began emitting yellow sparks. He then crossed his arms and tensed his muscles as the sparks became more frequent and brighter. With a determined cry, the Mouse Pokemon released a powerful bolt of yellow electricity at Trueno. Trueno did not seem intimidated by the oncoming attack as the Spark Pokemon simply stood his ground. The Thunderbolt struck Trueno but he did not seem affected in any way. In fact, it was as if he absorbing the attack.

Terence smirked as he ordered, "Show them a real Thunderbolt, Trueno."

Said Spark Pokemon spread out his legs and crouched low to the ground as he began charging up his attack. Like Levitas, yellow sparks emitted from his body. Unlike Levitas, three bolts of yellow electricity were shot instead of one. Levitas grew wide-eyed but luckily did not panic. The Pikachu bent his knees, leapt backwards and threw his body back as the bolts of electricity harmlessly passed by him. He then strecthed out his arms and his paws came into contact with the ground, allowing Levitas to spin his body back into a crouching position. Though Levitas avoided the attack, they were now heading straight towards Seishiro. Strangely, the boy had a bored expression on his face as if he knew that he would not be struck by the attack. His confidence was awarded as the three bolts of pure energy passed by inches from his face and struck the ground behind him.

"I guess Electric-type moves are out of the equation," Seishiro thought deductively. "It would seem that I might have to depend on Levitas' speed and agility to win but his stamina, though greatly improved, is still not at the level where he can sustain fast-paced combat for long periods of time. I have to end this battle quickly."

Seishiro told Levitas, "Make full use of your strength. Use Quick Attack."

Heeding his Trainer's call, Levitas dropped down on all fours and sped towards his opponent with a white streak trailing behind him. The sheer velocity of the attack was evident as Levitas got within five feet of Trueno in just five seconds.

"Night Slash, Trueno," Terence ordered in retaliation.

The Luxio deftly raised a paw which claws grew longer and glowed light blue before swinging it down upon his oncoming target.

Before Trueno could hit his mark, Seishiro swiftly issued an order. "Double Team, Levitas."

Instead of hitting Levitas, Trueno only found air as Levitas abruptly vanished with a static 'buzz'. The Pikachu then reappeared above the Luxio with a new attack in standby mode; Iron Tail. With a grunt, Levitas swung his glowing tail and connected with Trueno's right cheek, sending the Spark Pokemon tumbling to the side.

"Retaliate with Spark, Trueno," Terence called out.

On cue, Trueno's body was bathed in light blue sparks of electricity. Using his hind legs as springs, the Spark Pokemon launched himself forwards as his body became completely surrounded by light blue electricity and slammed right into Levitas, sending the Mouse Pokemon flying and skidding backwards.

Just as Levitas stopped his backward momentum, the Pikachu gave out a cry as yellow sparks that were not his surrounded his body, signifying that he was paralyzed. Terence noticed this and ordered, "Finish him with Thunderbolt."

Again, Trueno let loose three bolts of pure energy towards the paralyzed Pikachu. Levitas grew wide-eyed as the bolts were heading towards him. The Pikachu knew that he could evade them but in his state of paralysis, it would be impossible.

Seishiro visibly frowned. "Levitas, shake that sense of helplessness out of your head," Seishiro chided him as if he read Levitas' thoughts. "Overcome the pain and use Light Screen."

Mustering up all his willpower, Levitas fought his paralysis and held out his paws. Taking a deep breath, he calmly channeled his aura to his paws and slowly dispersed it into the air in front of him. The aura particles connected with each other, forming a transparent yellow screen. Just a second later, the Thunderbolt struck Levitas' Light Screen. Though the power of the Thunderbolt was halved, it still took Levitas a great deal of mental strength to maintain the Light Screen. Suddenly, a crack appeared on the transparent screen.

"Keep up the pressure, Trueno," Terence told the Luxio. "The Light Screen will shatter soon enough."

"Prove your opponents wrong and maintain that Light Screen, Levitas," Seishiro called out with conviction.

Trueno immediately increased the power of his Thunderbolt while Levitas exerted his mind to the very limit. Levitas was pushed back about three feet as the power of the Thunderbolt was magnified but the Pikachu still managed to maintain the Light Screen though more cracks had appeared on it. A full minute passed and neither side was willing to give up the face-off. Finally, the stream of pure energy from Trueno was broken as he looked slightly taxed from his unfruitful effort. A second later, the Light Screen abruptly shattered as Levitas dropped to his knees, beads of sweat running down his forehead. The Pikachu was fine physically but not mentally. Since he was not a Psychic-type, conjuring up and maintaining a Light Screen was a challenge.

"Looks like we've been pushed into a corner," Seishiro observed silently. "Levitas still has more than enough stamina but his exhausted mind will affect his performance. Electric-type attacks are out of the question as Trueno will only absorb them." The black-haired boy paused when an idea struck him. "...Absorb. That's it. Levitas, fire off your strongest Thunderbolt!"

Levitas turned his neck and glanced at Seishiro with confusion, wondering whether his Trainer had gone crazy. His assumption was erased when he saw the glint in Seishiro's eyes. Exchanging mental nods with Seishiro, Levitas turned around to face Trueno and began to charge up. His whole body began to tremble as he struggled to contain the stored up energy. Finally, Levitas released all control and let loose a single but extremely powerful bolt of lightning towards Trueno. The attack struck the Spark Pokemon and like the last time, it was being absorbed by Trueno who winced slightly at the sheer force of the attack.

"Are you sure that you should be doing that?" Terence questioned Seishiro. "You know fully well that Trueno can absorb Electric-based attacks."

Seishiro nonchalantly flipped his hair before he countered, "My Grandfather said this, 'With the greatest strategy, comes the greatest risk'. Do it now, Levitas."

Terence was slightly confused with Seishiro's quoting of his grandfather. When the silver-haired boy saw Levitas disappear and reappear in front of Trueno, he had finally understood what Seishiro meant by 'the greatest risk'. He called out, "Look out, Trueno!"

It was too late. Levitas gripped Trueno's black mane with his left paw and started to channel the energy that Trueno gained from the absorbed Thunderbolt back into his body and flowed it into his right arm. Said arm began to crackle with great intensity and subsequently took on a bright yellow sheen. With a determined cry, Levitas pulled back his arm and thrust it forwards, connecting with Trueno's forehead. The amount of force behind that punch must have been equivalent to a wrecking ball as the Spark Pokemon was sent flying back and slammed into the outer wall of the Gym, making several cracks appear around the region where he was slammed into. The Luxio then slid down onto the ground, unconscious and unmoving.

"I guess this means that round two goes to us," Seishiro cheekily remarked.

Terence gave the black-haired boy a half-hearted glare before returning the unconscious Luxio back into his Pokeball. Seishiro was not far behind as he too returned Levitas back into his Pokeball, offering the Pikachu words of praise in the process.

Terence had already unclipped his last Pokeball from his belt. Just as he was about to lob it into the air, a voice stopped him.

"All right, that's enough!" the voice announced sternly.

Both Trainers turned to the source of the voice. Said voice belonged to a dark-skinned boy no older than themselves. He had spiky black hair and squinty eyes. His attire consisted of an orange shirt under a green jacket, brown jeans and white sneakers. He had his arms crossed and was regarding Seishiro and Terence with an unamused expression.

"If you guys want to battle, then you should not do it in front of the Gym," the dark-skinned boy scolded them. He examined the small crater on the exterior of the Gym before he stated, "Normally, I would ask you to pay for this collateral damage but I suppose I could let you go this time. I would very much appreciate it if you two would leave."

Terence sighed as he clipped the Pokeball that he was holding back onto his belt. He then turned around and walked towards his new rival. He halted in his movements with only five feet seperating them.

"It would seem that we have to postpone this little skirmish," Terence said. "I have got to admit, you are proving to be an interesting antithesis. The situation is no different between our Pokemon. I'm sure that fate has willed us to cross paths in the future."

Seishiro casually swept a hand through his hair as he stated, "My Grandfather said this, 'If you wish for it to be so, luck will always be on your side'."

A small smile crept onto Terence's face. "I suppose that's better than nothing."

With that said, the silver-haired enigma walked past his black-haired counterpart. When their shoulders brushed against each other, Seishiro felt something unlock deep within his heart. The sapphire-eyed boy gazed at the platinum-eyed boy from the corner of his eye who in turn gazed at Seishiro the same way. This confirmed Seishiro's suspicion that Terence must have experienced the same feeling. However, both boys chose not to utter a syllable to one another as they could already tell just by looking at the other's eyes. Flashing a faint smirk at Seishiro, Terence continued on his way and left the premises of the Gym.

Just as Seishiro was about to do the same, Brock called out, "You're here for a Gym battle, right? I still have some free time so I think I can afford at least one more Gym battle before retiring for the day."

"Unfortunately, two of my Pokemon are tired from the earlier battle with Terence," Seishiro told Brock apologetically. "Thank you for the offer but I think I will wait until next morning for our battle."

Brock had all but shed his serious expression and adopted a kinder and carefree one. "It is no problem," Brock assured Seishiro. "There is an instant recovery machine in the Gym so your Pokemon should be fully fit with just one use. Also, I have some homemade medicine if they are still feeling lethargic."

Seishiro massaged his temple as he considered Brock's offer. "Hmm..., perhaps I might have to reevaluate my opinion on humanity," Seishiro mused. Deciding that it could do him no harm, the sapphire-eyed boy accepted the squinty-eyed Gym Leader's offer.

Brock smiled. "Great. Follow me," he said.

And followed him Seishiro did.

* * *

After healing his Pokemon, Brock treated Seishiro and his Pokemon to some refreshments. It was nothing fancy, just some fruits and energy drinks which Brock made himself. The energy drinks were pretty good in Seishiro's opinion. Levitas and Solvo became completely reenergized after just a single sip of their drinks. Seishiro was about to compliment Brock but decided against it at the last second. He still could not let go of his sense of pride but at the very least he acted decently in front of the Gym Leader.

The Gym Leader and the challenger now stood on opposite ends of a rock field. The field was not all that challenging in Seishiro's opinion. There were some stalagmite-shaped rocks protruding from the surface of the field, though each one was spread out randomly and quite a distance from one another like the particles in a gaseous state. Besides that, the surface of the field was generally uneven but not so much that it can become a manipulated variable in battle. It was to be expected since the Pewter City Gym was _technically_ the first Gym that a budding Pokemon Trainer would have to conquer.

"This is a two-on-two Pokemon battle for the Boulder Badge," a boy who looked like a younger version of Brock began as he stood on a raised platform on the side of the field, holding a green and red flag in each hand. "Only the challenger is allowed substitutions. The battle will continue until one team of Pokemon is rendered unable to battle. Are both sides ready?"

"Ready!" Brock exclaimed firmly.

Seishiro decided on a more subtle approach as he simply nodded.

"Then let the match commence!" the referee announced as he brought down both flags to his sides.

Brock swiftly withdrew a Pokeball when his brother had given them the green light. "I choose you, Geodude."

The Pokemon that was released from Brock's Pokeball resembled a grey boulder. It had bulging rocky eyebrows, brown irises and muscular five-fingered arms.

**"Geodude, the Rock Pokemon," **Dexter beeped. **"Geodude is often found on mountain roads with half of its body buried in the ground so it can observe mountain travelers."**

Seishiro took his time to decide on who should be Geodude's opponent. He finally decided on Solvo as he wordlessly released the Tiny Bird Pokemon.

Brock raised an eyebrow at Seishiro's choice of Pokemon. "Are you this is wise?" Brock questioned the sapphire-eyed boy. "You surely know that Flying-types are weak against Rock-types."

"Type advantages do not mean a thing to me," Seishiro responded. "Besides, I think that Solvo has a little redemption in mind, wouldn't you say so, Solvo?"

The Pidgey quickly took into the air and gave out a chirp of determination in response. Her thoughts were exactly what Seishiro claimed were to be. Solvo could tell that Seishiro was a tad bit disappointed that she lost to Cielo, even if the Starly was on a higher battle level. Now, Seishiro was giving her chance to prove to him that capturing her was not a mistake. A victory in a battle where she had a type disadvantage would surely cast aside the doubt in Seishiro's mind.

Brock shrugged. "Admirable... but that doesn't mean we'll go easy on you," he cautioned.

"If you did, then you are not a good Gym Leader then," Seishiro deadpanned.

Brock sweatdropped and scratched his head sheepishly. "Hehe..., you got me on that one," Brock commended. He then quickly shed his kind persona and put on his game face as he ordered, "Start out with Rock Throw, Geodude."

Geodude deftly started to punch the ground with each punch launching small rocks into the air around it as a result. Satisfied with the first phase of its attack, Geodude crossed its arms around its and started spinning wildly. The wind pressure generated from Geodude's spin caused the small rocks to be shot towards Solvo.

"Evade them," Seishiro retaliated calmly.

Solvo displayed that she was a master of her element despite being only in the first stage of her evolution as he skillfully rode the wind and evaded all the hard projectiles aimed at her. There were a few close calls but luckily for Seishiro, none of them found their mark.

"Hmm..., use Rock Throw again but with increased intensity this time," Brock called out.

Geodude once again punched the ground but with greater force as if it were beating mortar full of chillies into paste. As it did the first time, Geodude spun wildly to launch the substantial amount of rocks formed from its 'beating' of the ground towards its opponent.

Seishiro noticed there were more rocks this time around so he told Solvo, "Repeat the earlier strategy but use miniaturized versions of Gust if the rocks get too close for comfort."

Solvo quickly got to dodging the rocks but as Seishiro predicted, she could not avoid all of them. She was spared any damage though as she sporadically flapped her wings to release miniaturized versions of mini twisters to knock the rocks back towards the rock field where they belonged. Once she got out of the frying pan, she took a couple of deep breaths and turned to face her opponent who happened to have blended into the surroundings. The Tiny Bird Pokemon scanned the surrounding area for Geodude but even with her keen vision, Geodude camouflaging ability was better.

"Surprise that Pidgey with Rollout!" Brock yelled.

Geodude rocketed out of the ground behind Solvo, curled up into a ball and rolled towards her with incredible speed and power.

"Dodge it, Solvo," Seishiro ordered.

The Pidgey flew to the side to avoid the rolling Rock Pokemon but it managed to graze her left wing. Her left eye twitched a little once the pain that came after a connected attack set in.

"Quick, use Rock Throw, Geodude," Brock commanded.

Geodude uncurled itself to reveal that it was holding a medium-sized rock. Without a second thought, the Rock Pokemon threw the rock at Solvo with both hands, therefore doubling the force behind the attack.

"Redirect that rock with Gust," Seishiro called out.

Solvo quickly flapped her wings at a fast pace and sent a miniature twister towards the rock. On paper, a big rock should have no trouble in breaking through strong wind. However, that was only simulation which was different from a reality. In a real battle, anything can happen. With her determination sky high, Solvo increased the intensity of the twister and successfully sent the rock rolling back towards Geodude.

Brock assessed the situation calmly. "Brick Break, Geodude," he ordered.

Geodude gave out a grunt as its right hand glowed white and gave a solid karate chop to the rock. The rock unexpectedly split into perfect halves as they crashed into the ground. Geodude smiled smugly while Solvo just gave the Rock Pokemon a half-lidded glare.

"Did you train your Geodude to do that or was it pure luck?" Seishiro queried Brock.

"Well, Geodude has been a watching a lot of kung-fu movies lately but he never did manage to execute the famed move," Brock replied. "I guess it is just pure luck."

The squinty-eyed Gym Leader got a pebble in the forehead for that remark. Brock abruptly glared at Geodude which was whistling innocently.

Seishiro decided to take advantage of Brock's momentary lapse in concentration as he commanded, "Quick Attack, Solvo."

The Tiny Bird Pokemon, unimpressed by Geodude's imitation of a kung-fu move, shot towards the Rock Pokemon with white streaks trailing behind her. She had her wings tucked in to reduce air friction and as a result, the speed of the attack was doubled.

Brock snapped out of his reverie. "Dogde it, Geodude!" he screamed.

Geodude complied with its Trainer's command as he floated to the side, narrowly avoiding Solvo.

"Use Twister," Seishiro ordered.

Pidgey quickly untucked her wings and rode the wind until she was facing Geodude. The Tiny Bird Pokemon stretched out her wings and swung them around in a specific pattern; left over right and right over left. Gradually, the wind in the Gym started to pick up speed.

"Geodude, use Rock Blast to prevent Solvo from completing Twister!" Brock yelled out.

On cue, three light blue rings appeared and spun around Geodude's body. The rings then glowed white before turning into glowing white rocks. Geodude then fired the glowing white rocks at its opponent in an attempt to stop the completion of Twister. The rocks found their mark as Solvo had her attention fully focused on completing Twister. She winced in pain as the rocks struck her body, dealing super effective damage due to her being weak against Rock-type attacks. The wind's speed started to falter as she struggled to maintain her altitude.

"Solvo, ignore the pain," Seishiro told her. "I caught you for a reason, Solvo. I believe that you can become strong and overcome the hardest of trials. But first, you must show me that you have the desire and resolve. Bear the pain and use Twister!"

Though the rocks continue to hit her, she did not feel them. Seishiro's encouragement somehow managed to make her lose her sense of touch. As a result, she did not feel pain when the rocks pummeled her. Turning a blind eye to the rocks, she resumed her earlier swinging pattern. Soon, her attack was complete and with a defiant squawk, she released a full-powered Twister towards Geodude. Geodude was not expecting this and got sucked into the vortex of the tornado. The Rock Poke mon was spun around the Twister whilst getting battered by the rocks that were also caught in the tornado.

"Geodude!" Brock yelled out in concern.

The tornado gradually subsided, revealing a battered Geodude. There were some small cracks on his body, most likely caused by the collisions with the rocks in the tornado. The Rock Pokemon was also struggling to keep afloat as it was not only in pain but was extremely dizzy as well following its ordeal. Suddenly, a large figure appeared above it. Geodude could tell as a the figure casted a shadow over him. The Rock Pokemon knew that it was Solvo but also doubted that the small Pidgey could cast a big shadow. It slowly looked up and grew wide-eyed.

The figure that entered its sights was not a Pidgey. Instead, it was a large-raptor like bird. While its primary colour was brown, its plumage was much more elaborate than a Pidgey . Its head-crest was much longer than a Pidgey's and was in a reddish tone. The plumage of its tail was also quite colorful, alternating between red and yellow. Other than its ornamental plumage, its basic colouration was similar to a Pidgey, with pinkish-grey feet and black markings around its eyes. It also had powerful talons, most likely as primary hunting tools.

**"Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokemon and the evolved form of Pidgey,"** Seishiro's Pokedex analyzed. **"It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be more dangerous. Approach with extreme caution."**

"Execute Steel Wing, Solvo!" Seishiro exclaimed with vigour.

Brock could only stare and watch as Solvo, now a Pidgeotto, slammed two glowing wings on Geodude's head, sending the Rock Pokemon plummeting towards the ground and finally slammed into it, creating a small crater in the process.

The referee, who was known as Forrest, raised his green flag as he announced, "Geodude is unable to battle."

Brock returned Geodude back into its Pokeball with a sigh. "You were great out there, Geodude," he said as he gazed at the Pokeball. "Just take a nice long rest."

From the moment the referee raised the green flag, Solvo knew that she had won. Giving out a cry of victory, she glided slowly towards the ground and landed in front of her Trainer. She stayed silent as she awaited Seishiro's evaluation on her performance.

"You have exceeded my expectations," Seishiro began. "I really did not expect you to evolve so soon so I commend you on that. However, evolution will make it harder for you to gain experience so you have to triple your efforts from now on. Also, I shall be increasing the intensity of your training. Now that you're fully healed, you have to catch up with Noctis and Levitas." Noticing the crestfallened look on Solvo's face, Seishiro added, "All that aside, you proved that I was right in letting you become a member of this team. Well done."

Solvo's face immediately lit up, giving out a coo of anticipation in the process. Seishiro smiled faintly and gave her a small scratch on her forehead before returning her back into her Pokeball and clipped in back onto his belt.

Brock took a deep breath before withdrawing a Pokeball. He then exclaimed, "Graveler, I choose you!"

Graveler was comparable to a living boulder. The skin looked to be tougher than its pre-evolution form, Geodude. It had four arms; two long ones and two short ones. It also had short legs but Seishiro doubt that they would be a factor. The sapphire-eyed boy took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Graveler. Seconds later, the analysis was completed.

**"Graveler, the Rock Pokemon and the evolved form of Geodude," **Dexter monotoned. **"They descend from mountains by tumbling down steep slopes. They are so brutal that they smash aside obstructing trees and massive boulders with thunderous tackles."**

"Levitas' attacks, other than Iron Tail, would have no affect on this one," Seishiro thought logically. "He does not really have the penetrating and piercing power yet. I think Noctis would do well with a little practice."

With his thoughts set, he took out Noctis' Pokeball and whispered, "Cast a shadow, Noctis."

He then released Noctis who appeared as apathetic and stoic as ever. The Umbreon did not show any outward reaction as he found out that he was facing a Graveler.

"Noctis, close the distance with Quick Attack," Seishiro ordered, taking the initiative.

The Umbreon put his right foreleg in front of his left foreleg and his left hindleg in front of his right hindleg. Instantly, the Dark-type shot forwards with a black streak trailing behind him.

"Graveler, use Rock Tomb," Brock commanded, adopting a defensive approach.

The Rock Pokemon heeded its Trainer's call by jumping into the air and slamming back onto the ground. Suddenly, pillars of grey stone erupted from the battlefield and thereby obscuring Graveler from Noctis' view.

"Weave around them," Seishiro called out emotionlessly.

Noctis did just that as the Umbreon dodged, rolled and weaved through the pillars of stone while continuing to close the distance between himself and his opponent. Occasionally, some big rocks would randomly erupt from the ground but they provided no trouble as the Umbreon's sense of hearing was sharp following all the sound training that he went through up until this point. Soon, there were no obstacles seperating Graveler and Noctis as the Umbreon sped towards the Rock Pokemon.

"Stop that Umbreon with Rock Slide," Brock ordered.

Graveler's body immediately became outlined in blue. On cue, a nearby rock also became outlined in blue and got lifted off the ground. The large rock then splitted apart into smaller pieces which were launched towards Noctis.

"Double Team and then knock those rocks back with Iron Tail," Seishiro commanded instantly.

Noctis first leaped towards the rocks without a second thought. The Moonlight Pokemon then glowed white as several copies of the Dark-type materialized. Each Umbreon's tail then glowed white as they, in perfect synchronization, swung their tails at the rocks, effectively sending them back at Graveler. As the Rock Pokemon totally was not expecting its attack to be used against it, Graveler was pummeled mercilessly and pushed back a couple of feet.

"Shadow Ball," Seishiro chained his commands.

The copies of Noctis disappeared to reveal the real Umbreon. Said Umbreon opened his maw and began to gather the aura in the air while mixing it with his own. The product of his action was a ball of swirling dark energy. Noctis then snapped his head back and launched it at the Gym Leader's Pokemon.

"Graveler, counter with Rollout!" Brock yelled.

The Graveler, like Geodude, promptly curled up into a ball and started rolling quickly towards Noctis. Though the Shadow Ball that Noctis shot earlier connected with rolling Graveler, the Rock Pokemon canceled out the Dark-type attack and continued rolling towards the Umbreon.

"Dodge it, Noctis," Seishiro ordered calmly.

Normally, dogding an incoming attack would mean rolling or weaving to the side but not in Noctis' dictionary. Instead, the Umbreon ran staright towards the giant rolling Rock Pokemon and leapt over it in the style of a high jump competitor before landing safely on his feet. Graveler kept on rolling and knocked down several of the stalagmite-shaped rocks before swerving around to once again roll towards its target.

"Hmm..., those rocks might be useful after all," Seishiro mused as he watched a stalagmite-shaped rock topple down. He then commanded, "Noctis, station yourself in front of the nearest stalagmite."

Noctis instantly understood his Trainer's plan. The Umbreon vanished in a buzz of _**Volatus**_, avoiding Graveler which was still in Rollout mode in the process. The Moonlight Pokemon then reappeared in front of a stalagmite as per Seishiro's instruction.

"I don't know what you're planning," Brock began, "but Rollout keeps getting stronger and faster with each passing moment. Sooner or later, Graveler will hit its mark. Again, use Rollout Graveler!"

Not wanting to disappoint its Trainer, Graveler rolled towards Noctis faster than it had ever before. Unfortunately for the Rock Pokemon, no matter how fast it rolled, Noctis was faster as the Umbreon jumped high into the air and avoided Graveler yet again. Also, since Graveler was rolling at an extremely high speed, the stalagmite behind Noctis did not topple down once Graveler rammed through it. Instead, it was launched into the air.

"Noctis, use the stalagmite as an arrow. Aim it near Graveler," Seishiro ordered.

"Huh?" Brock breathed.

Noctis waited until the sharp end of the stalagmite was facing away from him. The Umbreon then narrowed his eyes at his target while scanning the battlefield as well. Taking a deep breath, Noctis double kicked the base of the stalagmite which caused it to _swish_ through the air like an arrow towards Graveler. The stalagmite struck the ground just a few inches behind the rolling Graveler, creating a crater and launching the Rock Pokemon high into the air.

"Graveler!" Brock yelled out in concern.

Graveler uncurled itself and was shocked to find that it was five feet in the air. It was immediately broken out of its reverie when Noctis appeared, with a static buzz preceding his arrival, on top of it. When the Rock Pokemon saw that Noctis' tail was glowing, it knew its fate. Graveler tried to plead with Noctis through its eyes but the Umbreon would have none of it as the Dark-type mercilessly swung his Iron Tail upon Graveler's face. The Rock Pokemon gave out a cry as it was launched downward and into the crater. An ominous thunk sounded throughout the Gym as Graveler lost conciousness.

"Graveler!" Brock yelled as he ran towards his fallen Pokemon.

Forrest, despite too worrying about Graveler's well-being, managed to maintain a professional air as he raised his green flag and announced, "Graveler is unable to battle. The winner is Noctis and the match goes to Seishiro Syuusuke."

Noctis just gazed apatheticly at his fallen opponent before using **_Volatus_** to appear in front of Seishiro. The two gazed at each other in silence.

"You okay, Graveler?" Brock asked his fallen friend.

"Grave...ler," the Rock Pokemon let off while smiling tiredly at its Trainer.

Brock smiled. "I'm glad," he started. "You put up a great fight but that's how the world works. You win some, you lose some. For now though, just take a nice long rest."

Brock recalled Graveler back into its Pokeball before standing up with a sigh. He then made his way towards Seishiro.

Speaking of Seishiro, he was still having a staring contest with Noctis. It looked as if neither was about to give in. Finally, the silence was broken.

"...No comment," Seishiro evaluated emotionlessly.

Noctis merely nodded and tapped his Pokeball on Seishiro's belt, recalling himself into it.

Seishiro looked up and noticed that Brock was standing in front of him. Seishiro was about to apologize but he was cut off when Brock laughed. The sapphire-eyed boy tilted his head in confusion. He expected Brock to be sad, not jubilant.

"Though that was one of my heaviest defeats," Brock began, "it was still very fun. I learned a lot from this match. I admit, I am not a perfect Gym Leader. I have weaknesses like any other Trainer and you took advantage of them. You made my realize that I should start taking the duties of a Gym Leader more seriously just in case I face another Trainer like you or Terence. For that, I thank you and award you the Boulder Badge."

The squinty-eyed Gym Leader then held out a badge towards Seishiro. Seishiro gazed at the badge which looked like a simple grey octagon before accepting it and putting it in his badge case. The black-haired boy then bowed his head in respect before turning around to exit the Gym. When he was just a few feet from the exit, he halted in his movements.

"I am sorry to impose," Seishiro called out over his shoulder, "but could you do me a favour?"

Brock smiled. "Sure," he confirmed. "Anything you need?"

* * *

Both Seishiro and Brock now stood just on the outskirts of Pewter City. Brock had offered Seishiro a night's rest at his place since the Sun had already set but the sapphire-eyed boy politely declined. Though Brock was a bit disappointed, he understood that Seishiro did not want to burden him since he had siblings to take care off.

"It took me awhile to find it but it seems that lady luck is smiling down upon me," Brock stated as he held out a book towards Seishiro. "Here you go."

"I appreciate it," Seishiro thanked Brock as he pocketed the book. "You shall realize your dream someday."

Brock tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I see you as a person who is involved in Pokemon healthcare in the future," Seishiro elaborated. "We both know that you are more suited to that field than Pokemon battling. Just stay patient and keep on believing."

Brock smiled softly and shook Seishiro's hand before walking back into the city. Seishiro just gazed at Brock's disappearing form and whispered, "Keep it up humanity. You are inching closer into my good books."

With that said, Seishiro turned away from Pewter City and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**(1) - Reveal your sovereignity**

**(2) - Become one with your will**

**(3) - Wind**

**Man, I am tired.**

**I did not expect this chapter to get so long.**

**Got carried away I guess.**

**Try and guess what Pokemon is in the egg.**

**Read and review.**

**Arigatou.**


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